


Turbulence

by lisawolfe80



Category: Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2018-04-26
Packaged: 2018-12-13 20:48:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 67,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11768103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lisawolfe80/pseuds/lisawolfe80
Summary: Things between Logan and Veronica have always been a little bumpy. Years later, when fate throws them together - a mile high in the sky - will they be able to clear the air, or will things remain just as turbulent as ever? AU set after Season 3. Not Movie Compliant.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N - I started working on this a while ago, and was initially hoping to have it all completed before I started posting but decided I didn't want to wait that long because I miss you all so much. Unfortunately that doesn't mean I have an abundance of writing time either, so it could still take a while to complete it. I did at least make myself finish off Gravity and Marshmallows & Moonlight before I started posting this so that I only have 2 WIPS going now. I do plan on finishing off Rocky Shores as well, and really do wish I had more free time but life doesn't always give you what you wish for.
> 
> Despite the title, this should be a fairly fluffy, slow burn LoVe story. And as always, special thanks to Bondopoulos for finding the time to beta this for me!
> 
> Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.

 

 

 

"He proposed!"

A broad smile broke out across Veronica's face as she tilted her cell phone momentarily away from her ear to protect herself from the high pitched squeal that came down the line. She wasn't terribly surprised. When you've known someone practically half your life—even if you'd only been an official couple for a small fraction of that time—once you admit your true feelings, a wedding proposal wasn't exactly earth-shattering news. His birthday had been the week before and he'd whisked her away for a romantic weekend to celebrate after having a larger party the weekend before. Of course that was the perfect time to pop the question.

"Congratulations, Sabrina," Veronica responded, genuinely happy for her college roommate.

"We're having an engagement party next weekend, and I was  _really_ hoping you could fly out for it," Sabrina continued. Even though Veronica couldn't see her face through the phone, she could picture Sabrina's expression—head titled, big pleading blue eyes—a look she was also a master of.

Veronica let out a soft sigh. "Not all of us can just jet off across the country at a moment's no—"

Sabrina interjected before Veronica could continue. "I'll pay for the ticket, Vee, I just really want you to come out."

"I'm not a  _charity_  case," Veronica objected immediately.

"That's not—"

Before Sabrina could say anymore, it was Veronica's turn to cut her off with a caustic laugh. "Although the fact I've moved back in with my dad and started working part time for him isn't the best argument against it."

"How about if the flight wouldn't cost  _either_ of us anything?" Sabrina tried again, switching to a persuasive tone with just a hint of mischief that Veronica was also very familiar with.

"I'm not stowing away in some cargo hold," Veronica teased with a chuckle.

"Remember I mentioned Sterling's friend from Cambridge? The travel writer with his own private plane?"

"Ummm… yeah… you sent me links to some of his articles to read, right? One of Sterling's wealthy British buddies?"

"Right, Linden Endicott. He's actually based out of San Diego currently and he's flying back to Massachusetts for the party, so you could come along with him."

"Yeah… I don't think flying over six hours alone with some rich, stuffy British guy—no offense to Sterling—sounds all that appealing. Look, I'll gladly save up and fly out for the wedding, but I can't just drop everything and fly out there for every little pre-wedding event, Sabrina. And I'm sure, knowing you, there will be quite a few of those."

"Well, his girlfriend will probably be coming too, so you won't be  _alone_ with him. You can sit in the back and read a book… or work on an article if you have a story you're chasing down now."

"Unfortunately, that's a no on an article right now."

"Sorry, Vee."

"Thanks." She tried not to sound too frustrated, but was sure Sabrina had probably caught the sentiment in her reply anyway.

"Sully will be there and he'd really like to see you too. If not for me, will you at least do it for him?  _Puhleeease_?"

"Oh sure, bring your brother into this," Veronica replied a smirk tugging at her lips.

"You forced me to bring out the big guns," Sabrina countered playfully. "I'm sure your dad can do without you for a couple of days, right? And you can stay at the house with all of us. So free transportation  _and_ lodging, and you get to hang out with your favorite set of twins."

"You're the  _only_ twins I know, so that's not saying much."

"But you love us anyway.  _Please_ say you'll come."

Veronica let out a loud sigh. She had to admit that getting out ofNeptune for a few days actually did sound nice after the last couple of months she'd had _. And if anyone can get me out of a discouraged slump it would be Sully._ "Fine. Text me London's information."

" _Linden_ ," Sabrina corrected. "And I can't wait to see you!"

* * *

 

Veronica pulled her suitcase out of the backseat of her car after she parked in the lot at the small private airport. She hadn't been sure how bad traffic might be driving down from Neptune to San Diego and hadn't wanted to be late since she'd already felt like she was inconveniencing Sterling's friend, so she'd left early. Luckily traffic had been light and she'd had time to stop and grab a second coffee and a scone before arriving at the airport. Flying on a private plane, there certainly wouldn't be meal service, and she'd started to wonder whether she should have actually planned a bit better and packed some snacks.  _Sabrina had better treat me to an amazing dinner when I finally make it there._

Sabrina's directions had been a bit vague, but luckily it was easy enough to spot the hanger where she was suppose to meet Linden and his girlfriend. Veronica hadn't cared enough to ask much about them, and as she walked toward the hanger, she started to wonder if the girlfriend would be some wealthy British socialite too.  _Neptune High 09ers, British Edition—oh goodie._ At least she should be able to hide in the back of the plane and be as antisocial as she wanted since she couldn't imagine they'd care much at all.

The small but expensive looking jet was already outside of the hanger. Veronica spotted a bit of movement in the window, although being short, she couldn't see much from the ground.

"Hello?" she called out, nearing the open door of the airplane.

"I'll be right ou—"

Veronica was sure the surprised look on her face had to have matched the look on the face staring back at her.

" _Veronica_?" Logan stammered as he shook his head slightly, apparently in disbelief, before walking down the small set of steps to stand on the ground in front of her.

"Um… yeah…" Veronica answered, glancing around quickly to see if there was anyone else around.  _Where the hell is—_ "Wait, _You're_  Linden?"

Logan looked a bit perplexed as he nodded slowly. "And  _you're_ Sabrina's college roommate?"

It was Veronica's turn to nod. "Well this is...  _unexpected_ ," she said as a nervous chuckle bubbled out before she started rambling anxiously. "I definitely wasn't expecting this. I had no idea you changed your name. It's probably going to be tough to remember to call you Linden, but I'll give it my best shot."

Logan furrowed his brows as he tilted his head, clearly thrown off a bit by what she'd just said. "I um… I only use  _Linden_  for my articles. Everyone who knows me calls me Logan. Didn't Sabrina tell you that?"

Veronica let out an irritated huff.  _Of course my devious ex-roommate didn't tell me that. Why did I think to give her the benefit of the doubt for even a second?_  "Um,  _no_ , she didn't happen to mention that."

Logan gave her a small almost apologetic smile. "Can I, um…" he mumbled as he gestured to her suitcase. "Get that for you?"

"Yeah… sure, I guess."

Logan quirked an eyebrow at her as the corner of his mouth curled up slightly. "Not having second thoughts about being trapped in the sky with me, are you?"

Veronica let out a nervous chuckle and slowly shook her head, realizing that there wasn't much conviction in her response.

"I promise I'm a good pilot. I could show you my flight logs if that'd make you feel better."

Veronica laughed a little harder and shook her head again in an attempt to appear more convincing. "I believe you."

He looked at her skeptically but didn't press her. He took her suitcase and then turned to climb back into the plane. She stood there, not quite sure what to do—completely bewildered by the current turn of events. She'd occasionally wondered what it would be like to run into him some time in Neptune when she'd moved back there after college. This certainly hadn't fit any scenario she'd ever imagined. She'd worried sometimes about what sort of trouble he may have gotten into, but never saw his name pop up anywhere. While the situation may be incredibly awkward, it was nice to finally get a little closure about where he'd ended up and what he'd been doing since they parted ways.

Logan returned a few seconds later, glancing toward the parking area while he grimaced slightly. "We're just waiting on…" he trailed off, seeming a bit uncomfortable.

"Your girlfriend," Veronica finished for him with a tight smile.  _Yeah, this isn't going to be weird at all. I'm so going to kill Sabrina. I guess I won't have to worry about flying back out for her wedding after she's dead._

"Yeah." Logan glanced down at his watch. "You're a little earlier than I expected. I arrived early to get the jet all ready to go. She prob—" He stopped abruptly as the sound of a cell phone rang through the air. "Excuse me," he said as he pulled the phone from his pocket and paced a few feet toward the hanger.

Veronica tried not to eavesdrop, but it was virtually impossible not to hear his end of the conversation from where they were both standing.

"Hey, how's traffic?... Oh… yeah no… yeah, I understand… It's fine, Paisley." She heard him let out a loud sigh before he spoke again. "Yeah… I think I'm headed off again a few days after I get back… well, maybe we'll get a couple hours at least… Yeah, catch dinner and a show... I'll call you later tonight... 'kay, bye."

The smile he plastered on his face as he turned back toward her seemed ingenuine, but she certainly wasn't going to call him on it.

"Well, looks like we won't have to wait after all. Paisley—my girlfriend—works for a cable news network in LA and needs to fill in for another reporter this weekend."

"Great," Veronica replied flatly, realizing as the word left her lips that probably was the farthest thing from a proper response for the situation. "I'm sorry she can't make it though," she added, hoping she sounded sincere.

"Yeah, thanks," Logan said briskly, walking by her toward the plane again. "I've got to take care of a few more things and then get cleared for an earlier flight time. There's a couch in the hanger if you want to hang out there until we're ready to go."

Given how dismissive he sounded, she decided she'd take the couch option. "Sounds good," she said as she turned and headed into the small building. _It will give me extra time to plot my vengeance against my traitorous college roommate._

* * *

 

"So, Emerson, huh?" Logan asked after they'd been up in the air for a while. "I never would have expected you to go there. Although ironically it was my first choice when I decided to leave Hearst—well, before I decided to give another continent a try."

Veronica huffed out a soft chuckle before replying. She certainly didn't want to get into fate or long ago professions of continents and epicness. "Yeah, after my internship with the FBI, I came to the realization that I like exposing the truth more than following bureaucratic processes, so I decided to pursue a career as an investigative journalist instead."

"And how's that going?" Logan asked, glancing in her direction for a moment with a raised eyebrow before returning his gaze to the plane's controls.

This time it was a bitter laugh that proceeded her answer. "Not as well as I'd hoped. Even though I'd decided to stay back East after finishing my internship in Virginia, by the time I graduated from Emerson, I'd started missing Dad and California a lot so decided to pursue career opportunities out there. I got a gig writing for a small paper in LA shortly after moving back, but after a couple of months they closed up shop. I guess in hindsight it was good that I'd only signed a month-to-month lease on a tiny apartment in LA. I ended up moving back in with my dad while I looked for a new job, which has extended much longer than I ever intended. I've written a few articles for the Neptune Register and a couple random online papers, but I haven't had a lot of luck getting something better yet. Given my abundance of free time and an  _un_ -abundance of funds to pay off school loans, I've been helping Dad on cases again." She paused and caught her breath for a moment. "Sounds like you've been doing pretty well after Cambridge?" Ever since realizing that Linden was actually Logan, she'd tried to recall everything that Sabrina had ever mentioned about him. She kicked herself now, realizing that the frequency of those mentions had steadily increased in the past few months and she'd never even stopped to question why.

"Well, I don't know that I'd say that," Logan replied. She wasn't sure if it was reluctance or modesty that laced his tone. "It's all who you know, right?" He took a deep breath before he started again. "The magazine I write for is owned by Gant Publishing, so it wasn't too hard to get Casey to give me a chance. Luckily, I guess, the editor of the magazine didn't hate my stuff, so I've stayed on with them."

"Yeah, Sabrina sent me a few of them to read. You've always been a good writer, Logan. I can see why they'd keep you."

Logan looked slightly uncomfortable with the compliment, which surprised her a bit given how cocky he could be in the past. Starting the moment she'd walked into the hanger to wait for him to finish prepping the plane, she'd been wondering how much different this four-year older version of Logan might be. Being less cocky certainly hadn't crossed her mind. Although maybe she'd just been distracted with thoughts of how he seemed to be in noticeably better shape than he'd been when she last saw him.

"It's fun work at least. I get to travel around to interesting places. I try to pitch locations that I can actually fly my own plane to, but they've requested several places it's just not feasible to travel to with the range I get on her."

" _Her_ , huh?" Veronica laughed, teasing him.

Logan laughed as well and shook his head. "It's not like I  _named_ her or anything."

" _Sure_  you didn't," Veronica giggled back as she bit on her lip, feeling that old familiar feeling for the first time that day of how much she'd missed being able to tease him.

Logan looked at her for a few seconds as he rolled his eyes then turned his attention forward again.

"I bet you call her  _some_ name sometimes don't you?" Veronica continued, pretty sure her intuition was right. "Maybe it's not her  _official_ name, but I bet you have some cute little pet name for her."

Logan let out a defeated sigh and shook his head for a second before shooting a devilish grin her direction. "Well, when she's being a  _pain in my ass_  I do call her  _Bobcat_."

* * *

 

After short stops in Colorado and Indiana to grab some food and refuel the plane, Logan and Veronica finally landed at Hanscom Field, a small airport located between Concord and Bedford. Veronica had been to Concord several times when she was going to school at Emerson in Boston. Sabrina would drag Veronica out to her family's large colonial home that was located just outside of Concord over long weekends when Sabrina needed a break from the city.

It had certainly been a surreal day flying across the country with Logan. Even though he really was a great pilot, Veronica was still excited to be on solid ground again. Including the stops, it had taken about eight hours for them to make the full trip. There had certainly been more than a few stretches of awkward silence, although Logan seemed to eventually fill them by sharing some trivia about the state they were traveling over. Veronica couldn't help but notice that when they had talked about things that had happened to them in the last four years, that they'd stayed very focused on the  _what_ and not so much the  _why_. To her it felt like it was one step above trying to make small talk with a complete stranger on a normal plane ride. At least it wasn't as uncomfortable as it could have been given things weren't very good between them when she'd left Hearst and they hadn't spoken since then.

Logan had called Sterling during their stop in Indiana to give him an estimate of when they'd be landing so they could meet them at the airfield. Veronica spotted Sabrina and Sterling waiting by the hanger that Logan taxied to after landing. Veronica had never met Sterling in person, but Sabrina had sent her plenty of pictures of the two of them over the past few months to be able to instantly identify him. Sabrina could easily pass for Veronica's sister. Both women were petite— Sabrina having an inch or two on Veronica—with blonde hair and fair complexions. Sterling fell somewhere between them and Logan. Several inches shorter than Logan, with light brown hair and, from at least what Veronica could tell in the pictures, green eyes.

After killing the jet engines, Logan opened the cabin door and helped Veronica get her suitcase off the plane as they greeted the newly engaged couple.

"Smooth flight?" Sabrina asked, eyebrow raised and the slightest hint of apprehension in her tone. Veronica was certain now that Sabrina hadn't just accidently forgotten that the two of them used to date. "Vee used to go on and on about the turbulence when she'd fly back from visiting her dad. Hopefully you had clear skies coming out?"

"Yep," Veronica replied, smiling gratefully at Logan. "I think this was the smoothest flight I've actually had out here yet."

Logan smiled and nodded at the compliment. "Well, I've got to do a few things in there." Logan gestured with his head as he turned to head back into the plane.

"Need a hand?" Sterling offered, immediately following Logan into the plane, leaving Sabrina and Veronica alone next to the jet.

"I'm so glad you're here," Sabrina squealed as she wrapped Veronica in a huge hug.

"You are in  _sooo_ much trouble!" Veronica scolded before Sabrina had even released her.

Sabrina gave her a mischievous smile as she stepped away. "When am I not?" she asked with a laugh.

"I can't believe you  _intentionally_ planned to trap me for nearly half a day on a plane with my  _ex_ -boyfriend and his  _girlfriend_."

"Well to be fair, I seriously doubted she'd come along. And I was  _right_ , so there's that."

Veronica let out a frustrated sigh and glanced back at the airplane to be sure that Logan and Sterling were still on board. "I'm still pissed at you. Why didn't you tell me who Linden really was?"

"I didn't think you'd come if you knew," Sabrina replied, sounding slightly chagrined at least. "And I really wanted to have you here."

Veronica narrowed her eyes at Sabrina, sure that wasn't the only thing that had motivated her.

"And I didn't think it would hurt for you to bump into him again," Sabrina added with the mischievous twinkle back in her eyes. "Let's face it, you're love life could use a nudge."

Veronica glanced at the plane again before continuing, although she did lower her voice just in case the guys were coming back out. "Let me speak slowly so you can understand.  _He_.  _Has_.  _A_.  _Girlfriend_. I'm pretty sure we already covered that part."

"Psha, it's not like they're married, and I really don't think she's the right woman for him."

"Somehow I don't think  _your_ opinion is what he cares about, and you'd better not be planning any more meddling." Before Veronica could say another word, she heard Logan and Sterling's voices getting louder as they climbed out of the plane again.

"Who's ready for Italian food?" Sabrina asked loudly as she wrapped her arm around Veronica's shoulders. " _Papa Razzi_ ," Sabrina sung out happily, coaxing Veronica toward the shiny new BMW SUV that was parked next to the hanger.

* * *

 

There was certainly a different dynamic throughout dinner with all four of them instead of just Veronica alone with Logan. Since this was the first time Veronica had met Sterling, she was able to focus on getting to know him better rather than worrying about how to fill the awkward silences the airplane with Logan. Not surprisingly, their conversation frequently turned to their recently completed college years, and Logan seemed more than happy to share slightly embarrassing stories about Sterling with the two girls. Veronica couldn't help but wonder what sort of embarrassing stories Sterling might be able to share about Logan, but for whatever reason he didn't retaliate. As Logan jovially shared the many tales, Veronica couldn't help but think back to the more carefree guy that Logan used to be when they were younger—back before so many things darkened their lives.

Veronica was already well aware of how Sabrina had met Sterling years ago so none of that really needed to be rehashed at dinner. When Sabrina was younger, her and her twin brother, Sully, frequently visited their maternal grandparents who had moved to England shortly after the twins were born. Once they were school age, the twins would spend a large chunk of each summer there. Sterling's family had moved into the estate next to Sabrina's grandparents when they were all twelve and the three quickly all became good friends. It wasn't until Sabrina had visited the summer after graduating from college that she and Sterling had finally admitted their true feelings to each other. Sterling ended up coming back to the US with Sabrina at the end of the summer, and they'd been inseparable ever since. Most of the stories Sabrina had told Veronica about Sterling when they were going to Emerson together were of the time they spent together when they were younger, so it was nice to learn more about what grown up Sterling was like from the stories that Logan shared with them.

Given the time difference on the East Coast, it was nearly midnight when they finally made it to the house. Sabrina's parents had already turned in for the night, so Sabrina quietly showed Logan and Veronica to two guest rooms on the second floor and then headed to her own room with Sterling in tow.

Dinner had provided a distraction from thinking about how strange it was seeing Logan again, but alone in her room, those thoughts popped back into Veronica's mind. As she settled into her bed, the fact that Logan Echolls was actually just on the other side of the wall from her was boggled her mind. She wondered if he'd already crashed after the long day but then heard what sounded like drawers opening and closing on the other side of the wall from her.

Sabrina had sent her  _Linden's_ number in case an emergency came up and Veronica needed to reach him before making it to the airfield. Veronica bit on her lip for a second before grabbing her phone.  _Even if he has a girlfriend, that doesn't mean we have to act like strangers._ She typed a message and hit send before she could change her mind.

' _I don't think I ever thanked you for offering me a ride, so thanks - V_ '

Veronica could hear the sound of a mattress shifting and felt an odd feeling course through her knowing he was probably reading her message right next door.

' _Anytime. It was nice having someone to keep me company. - L_ '

She knew she could just leave it at that, but she'd missed him and the banter they used to have back when they were younger—before things had gotten so ugly. Maybe some of the stories Sabrina had shared at dinner had left her feeling a bit nostalgic too.

' _I'm also thankful you fly better than you drive_ '

She could just barely make out a laugh from the other side of the wall. Her smile at hearing that sound was involuntary and she was thankful that's all she could hear and that his girlfriend hadn't come along. Of course, since she'd had some time to kill while she was waiting for him in the hanger, she'd googled 'LA News Paisley' and had easily found the woman who Logan was likely dating. It hadn't been terribly surprising that she'd been tall, gorgeous and voluptuous. Veronica had already been through the torture of listening to him with another woman from the other side of a wall once before and didn't want to relive that,  _ever_. She was glad the sound of her phone beeping provided a distraction from dwelling on that unpleasant memory.

' _You'd better be nice. It's an awful long bus ride back to Neptune._ '

' _Okay, okay. Let's not get crazy. You're the best pilot I know._ '

' _Sterling might take offense to that since he's a pilot too._ "

Veronica had forgotten that Sabrina had told her that at some point. Not that she would have changed what she'd written.

' _Is that how you got into flying?_ '

That had been too close to a  _'why'_ question to ask on the way there, but now that he was safely in the room next door, she felt a little braver asking more personal questions. At least that one didn't seem too dangerous.

' _Actually yeah. I knew after the first time he took me up and turned over the controls to me for a few minutes that I wanted to get my license too._ '

' _You didn't offer to let me fly your plane._ '

' _Well my Eclipse is a bit more advanced than the Cessna he took me up in._ '

' _Maybe you're the second best pilot I know then_.'

' _I'll be sure to check the bus schedules tomorrow. I wouldn't want you to miss it._ '

She couldn't help but laugh at him. Before she could write a reply, her phone beeped.

' _It's really good to see you again. I'm glad you didn't follow your first instinct and bolt at the airfield in San Diego_.'

' _Me too. Good night Logan._ '

' _Sweet dreams Veronica_.'

* * *

 

Veronica wasn't sure if the clicking sound she heard was actually a door opening or just part of a dream, but then when she felt her bed jostle from a body plopping down next to her, she knew it was real. She slowly opened one eye to find a mischievous blue eye twinkling right back at her.

"Rise and shine, pork-ee-pine."

"Too early," she groaned as she rolled onto her back and covered her face with her bent arm.

"It's already after eight," her very amused interrupter of sleep replied. She didn't have to see his face to know the expression she'd find there.

"Not in  _California_ ," she countered sleepily. "And didn't I lock that door?"

A wordless scoff was the only reply she heard. She'd actually almost dozed off again when she felt the covers pulled off of her. Before she could drop her arms to protect herself, wet lips attacked her stomach and started blowing raspberries against her belly.

"Stop!" she protested through giggles. She tried pushing Sully away, but he was too strong and even though he was laughing now too, he wouldn't relent.

"Is everything okay in here?" Logan's loud voice boomed through the room, causing Sully to stop and both of them to look toward the doorway. The scowl on Logan's face definitely matched the tone he'd just used.

"Yeah, Sully's just trying to wake me up," Veronica answered quickly, tugging the edge of her sleep shirt back over her exposed skin.

"Um… Mom and Sabrina said breakfast was almost ready. There's coffee," Sully told Logan as he pushed himself up to sit next to Veronica.

Logan nodded stoically before disappearing down the hall.

"Sorry," Sully said as he flopped down on the bed next to Veronica again. His wavy blond hair fluffed up around his head on the pillow.

"Well it's not the first time you've woken me up rudely," Veronica replied, turning onto her side again so she could see him better.

"No, I meant… about that," he said, pointing at the open door. "I don't think your ex was too pleased with the scene he just witnessed."

Veronica narrowed her eyes at him. "You knew too!" she exclaimed unhappily. "And you didn't think—" She lowered her voice to sound more like a guy before she continued, "'Hey, maybe I should call Veronica and tell her that her ex is going to be Sterling's best man.'"

"Well, I hadn't heard he picked Logan as his best man," Sully replied with a smirk. "And I only found out at Sterling's birthday party a couple weeks ago that Sterling's friend from Cambridge was your  _infamous_ ex. Besides, Sabrina said she'd tell you."

"Well, she  _didn't_ ," Veronica informed him angrily.

"Oh," Sully glanced back at the door. "I take it the Ice Queen didn't come with him this time. I didn't hear frozen stilettos impaling the hardwood."

"So, I guess you don't like her either?"

"Oh no, she was  _lovely_ ," Sully replied as he rolled his eyes. "I call everyone who's  _lovely_ by royal titles you know."

Veronica huffed out a laugh and shook her head at him.

"She was here that weekend too but only stayed one night and then got some urgent assignment and had to fly back to LA, abandoning Logan here with us."

"Well, you are a terrible bunch to be abandoned with," Veronica retorted with a smug grin, but then she looked at him more seriously. "It must not have bothered  _him_ at all… they're still together."

"True," Sully agreed as a broad grin spread across his face. Even if he looked angelic to strangers, Veronica knew there was actually a very devious personality behind his innocent looking exterior, much like his twin sister. "And all the better for  _me_ because I don't want to have to share your attention with anyone else."

"And  _whom_ am I sharing  _your_ attention with this weekend? Sabrina said you didn't come out last night because you had some big date. Guy or gal this time?"

"Gal," Sully replied with a smug grin. "Our second date actually."

"Ah, so I'm the second blonde you've been in bed with this morning then," Veronica teased.

"She was strawberry blonde, actually."

"Wow, changing your core demographic dramatically," Veronica countered deviously with a chuckle.

"No one can compare to your awesomeness though,  _Sonica_ ," Sully volleyed back with a smirk as he leaned forward and placed a loud kiss on her cheek.

"You know I hate that nickname," Veronica reminded him trying to pin him with her most threatening glare as he rolled back next to her on the bed.

"Too bad for you," he teased, the mischievous twinkle back in his eyes again. "We'd better get down to the kitchen before all the bacon's gone," he added, springing up from the bed and holding his hand out to her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kind reviews on chapter one and for the Kudos as well. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter as much as the first. And as always, thanks to Bondopoulos for always being a wonderful beta for me!
> 
> Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.

When Veronica and Sully made it down to the kitchen, Mary and Hank—formally Henry Sullivan the second—appeared to be just about to leave.

"Veronica!" Mary sung out happily as she walked over and enveloped Veronica in a warm embrace. Mary was a petite blonde as well, whom people had mistaken as Veronica's own mother on several occasions. "It's been too long since we've seen you. You know we all wish you'd stayed on the East Coast, but I can understand wanting to go back to live by your dad for a while. I keep telling Hank that maybe you'll get tired of all the sunshine and warm weather and move back out here. You're always welcome to stay with us until you get a place of your own."

"Thanks, Mary," Veronica replied, slightly embarrassed by the fuss. "It's great to see you both too."

"Hey darlin'," Hank said softly as he took his turn to give Veronica a hug. The blonde much taller man leaned down to wrap his arms around her. "Welcome back."

"Well, we need to head out so we make it to Logan—sorry, the airport of course—before Grandma and Grandpa's flight arrives. You kids have fun and we'll catch up to you all before the dinner tonight."

"Bye, mom… dad," Sabrina called out a bit dismissively, obviously trying to hurry them along. "We'll see you both later."

Sully smirked at Veronica and handed her a plate to fill, obviously amused by his sister's behavior. Veronica was delighted to find a mini buffet set up on the counter for them to choose from. Mary was a wonderful cook and Veronica had always relished all of the home cooked meals she'd been able to eat with them. She noticed Logan and Sterling had already filled their plates and were sitting at the kitchen table while Sabrina was filling up a cup with coffee.

"So…" Sabrina started in the tone she used when she was planning to take control of a situation. "The plan for today is for the girls to go to the spa while you guys go golfing. McKinley and Olivia will be here in about an hour to drive over to my favorite spa in Wayland."

" _No_ , I want to hang out with Sonica today," Sully interjected adamantly causing Sabrina to quickly shoot an annoyed glare in his direction. "What, you know she'd rather go to the archery range with  _me_ anyway. You, McKinley and Liv can go to the spa. I certainly didn't drive out here early just to spend time with Sterling and Logan. No offense guys, but I did just see you both a couple of weekends ago."

Veronica snuck a quick glance toward the table. Logan looked a little annoyed, but he seemed to be intently focusing on his plate. Sterling looked more intrigued than offended.

"I'd love to go the archery range too," Sterling shared, glancing at Logan, Veronica assumed, to gauge his reaction.

Veronica looked back at Sully whose brows were furrowed in a scowl. She could tell he was about to protest when Sabrina gave him a pointed look. Sterling must not have been looking in their direction, or Sully just didn't care, because he emphatically rolled his eyes and gave his sister the most put out look that he seemed capable of mustering.

" _Fine_ … Sterling and Logan can come with us if they  _want_ ," Sully relented with a noticeable sigh.

"Is that what you'd rather do then, Vee?" Sabrina asked, turning her attention to Veronica.

"Yeah, if you wouldn't be too upset. Sully was always going on and on about the archery course here, but we never made it over there. I haven't actually shot a bow since I left, so it would be fun to spend the day doing that."

"See, I told you Sonica would rather hang out with me," Sully gloated as he made a face at his sister. Sabrina rolled her eyes before stealing a slice of bacon off his plate and then headed over to sit in the empty chair next to Sterling.

* * *

Since Sully's Aston Martin only had 2 seats, they took the BMW SUV that Sterling and Sabrina had picked Logan and Veronica up at the airfield in. Sully punched the address into the GPS and then let Logan ride up front with Sterling so he could sit in the back with Veronica.

"It's too bad Paisley couldn't make it this time," Sully tossed out shortly after they'd left the Sullivan's house.

Veronica couldn't help but wonder how Logan and Sully had gotten along the first time. She knew Sully well enough to know he was definitely trying to push buttons now, though. He clearly hadn't liked Paisley, and any motivation he had for bringing her up was likely not good. She shot him a slightly chastising glance which only served to intensify the devious look on Sully's face. Veronica was sitting behind Logan, so it was hard to see his expression as he turned slightly to look at Sully before replying.

"Yeah, she's filling in for a newscaster at her station who called in sick at the last minute."

"More airtime for her then? Sounds like she loves being in front of the camera—from what she shared with us last time, anyway."

"Yeah, well, she'd love to get a permanent anchor position if she could."

"I'm sure that would work better for the two of you. Her not getting sent out all over the state to cover smaller stories. You still planning to move up to LA with her?"

"I don't recall mentioning that when I was here last time," Logan replied, a hint of malcontent in his voice.

"Oh… hmm… maybe  _she_  did," Sully replied. The faux innocence dripping off of him caused Veronica to roll her eyes. Sully didn't do subtle very well, and she guessed that his current behavior was most likely due to the fact that he hadn't wanted to share his time with Veronica with Logan and Sterling.

"So have you ever shot a compound bow?" Sully asked next, his question clearly aimed at Logan.

"Nope," Logan replied a bit tersely.

"Well, it is a gun club too. If you guys didn't want to do the archery course with us, that's an option as well. Pistol range and traps. The archery course goes around the full forty-five acres so it's a bit of a hike. There's fishing too if that's more your thing."

"I'm game for trying the bow," Logan replied, not relenting against Sully at all.

"Well, it's always an option if you decide it's not your thing after the first set of targets. I know Sterling likes to trap shoot and since we're members, you can easily borrow some firearms for that if you want."

"Thanks for letting me know."

"Yeah, no problem," Sully replied. "Archery isn't really for everyone. Sonica though, she was a natural."

Veronica huffed a laugh and shook her head at Sully. She'd actually sucked at first and it had taken several trips before she'd started getting the hang of it. Sully hadn't let her quit though and in hindsight she was glad he'd forced her to keep trying, but she definitely hadn't been a natural.

"Why do you call her  _'Sonica'_?" Logan asked, turning far enough to glance at both of them, a curious look on his face. "There must be a story behind it."

"Oh,  _there is_ ," Sully replied with a smug grin. Veronica could easily see that he thought keeping it a secret would bug Logan even more.

"It's not that big of a story," Veronica interjected, starting to feel sorry that Logan seemed to be taking the brunt of Sully's annoyance at Sabrina making him let them come along. "I'll tell him if you don't want to."

Sully obviously wasn't overjoyed that she was willing to share so easily when she certainly never had been when it came up before.

"Fine," Sully started, at least he hadn't resorted to the same exaggerated put out expression that he'd used on Sabrina. "When I first started hanging out with Vee, it was obvious she was a bit prickly, like a porcupine. Only she's so tiny, so really more like a hedgehog. Since Sonic the Hedgehog is a guy, I started calling her Sonica. Plus it rhymes with Veronica."

Logan chuckled slightly and shot an amused glance at Veronica.

"It's  _my_ nickname for her though, so no one else  _ever_  uses it," Sully quickly added, sounding a bit more possessive of her than he had yet to be in front of Logan.

"Got it," Logan replied tersely with a curt nod before turning to face the front again.

Now it was Veronica's turn to give Sully the exaggerated eye roll. His silent 'what' expression only earned him a scolding head shake from her. She suddenly realized what it felt like to be the toy two toddlers were fighting over.  _Albeit a toy neither of them actually wanted._

"Looks like we're here," Sterling announced as he turned off the main road to the entrance to the Concord Rod and Gun Club.

* * *

"Hey, at least that arrow stuck in the block," Sully commented after Logan had released his shot. "We won't have to spend time looking through the bushes for it. I must say it was a good call getting the bright colored feathers for Logan to use."

Veronica could see Logan's jaw tighten, but he didn't say anything and instead let out an unamused laugh.

"It's not too late to head back to the pistol range or try traps," Sully offered next, an overly friendly smile on his face.

"This is  _fine_ ," Logan answered as they all started walking toward the target to retrieve their arrows.

"Nice shot, Sonica," Sully commented as he pulled her arrow out of the bullseye and handed it to her. "I knew you'd get back into the groove in no time at all."

Sterling had been a pretty good shot, at least landing most of his arrows somewhere near the center target, but poor Logan hadn't taken to it very well. She could feel for him, after her first few attempts, when she was starting out. She had reached the target block before he did and pulled his arrow out for him.

"It takes time to get the hang of it," she told him with an encouraging smile. "Regardless of what tale Sully tries to spin, I  _wasn't_ a natural and it took me several trips to hit the target with any sort of consistency."

"Good to know," Logan replied, taking the arrow from her, the slightest hint of a grateful smile appearing on his lips.

At the next target, Veronica offered a little advice as Logan was setting up his shot.

"Hold on," she said softly as she walked over next to him. "You're aiming a little too high still." She reached up and gently pushed down on his arm to get a better angle for him. "There. Give that a try."

At least that arrow hit the outside ring of the target and she could tell he looked less frustrated than he'd been at the last nine stations.

"Much better," Veronica told him encouragingly.

They stood to the side so Sully and Sterling could each have their turns as well.

"You're a much better teacher than they are," Logan whispered to her as he gestured with his head to the other two guys. Sully and Sterling had been giving him advice ever since they started, but for some reason it just wasn't really working for him. Not to mention that Sully's advice hadn't been that helpful; more like ' _try not to suck so badly this time_ '.

"Maybe that's why it took me so long to get it with Sully as my teacher," she replied with a sly wink.

Logan huffed out a soft laugh and nodded at her.

"He has a fragile ego though," she whispered teasingly to him. "Let's just keep that our little secret."

She could tell Logan didn't quite buy the fragile ego part, because anyone who'd ever spent any time with Sully could see he was overflowing with genuine self-confidence, but he smiled and nodded anyway.

* * *

Logan's aim had improved considerably over the last eight stations, and he seemed to be enjoying it more than when they'd started. Sully had remained pretty critical of Logan, though, and was definitely not warming up to him at all. Veronica couldn't help but wonder how they'd gotten along a few weeks prior when they'd gotten together for Sterling's birthday. She'd initially thought Sully was just sore about having to allow Logan and Sterling to come along, but as the morning went on she didn't think that was the only reason. Veronica knew that Sully and Sterling had been pretty good friends growing up, and maybe he wasn't thrilled that Logan was so close to Sterling now, but that didn't seem like something that would normally bother Sully.

Given there were four of them and finding Logan's lost arrows had taken some time, they weren't getting through the course as quickly as Sully had estimated when they first started out. As the course rounded back toward the clubhouse again, Sully suggested that they could call it a day and go for lunch rather than keep going and finish the rest of the course.

"We wouldn't want Veronica to fade away from starvation. I think we've far exceeded her normal feeding schedule," Logan teased with a playful smirk. He'd also given her a hard time the day before when her stomach had started growling when they climbed out of the plane in Colorado.

"We certainly can't have that," Sully agreed, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her close to his side. "So should we call it a day here? I think you've proven you could kick any of our asses in a shooting contest."

"As long as there's no doubt of that," she replied looking at Logan and Sterling for confirmation. They both smiled and nodded in agreement.

"We could go to Atlantic Sea Grill for lunch. They have a really great clam chowder," Sully suggested.

Veronica spoke up before the other two could. "Logan's allergic to shellfish, maybe we should try some other place."

"I'm sure they have non-shellfish options, Vee," Sully countered, shooting a slightly disgruntled look in Logan's direction.

"Yeah… I'm sure I can find something safe to eat," Logan agreed, evidently not caring to object to what Sully wanted to do.

"Well, I'm more in the mood for Chinese, anyway," Veronica proposed. Even if Logan didn't want to make any waves with Sully, she certainly wasn't going to let him dictate where they went at Logan's expense.

"Sure, we can go to Spicepepper Garden then," Sully suggested, at least not sounding too petulant about it. "I think we took you there once on one of our other trips out here."

As they started walking toward the clubhouse to return their gear, Logan's cell phone rang. They could see the car from where they were and Sterling offered to take Logan's bow and quiver of arrows so he could take the call and wait for them on a bench by the parking lot. As they were walking into the clubhouse, Sterling's phone ran as well.

"We've got this," Sully assured Sterling, as he sat his gear inside the door and took the rest from Sterling. Sterling thanked him and headed back outside to take his call as well.

After the gear was returned and they'd walked back outside, Veronica stopped Sully right outside the door. Logan and Sterling were both over by the car talking, so she knew they couldn't overhear them.

"What gives? Why are you being such an ass to Logan?" she asked, scowling disapprovingly at him.

"I'm not," Sully instantly replied defensively.

"Bullshit, Sully. What's going on?"

Sully let out a frustrated sigh and looked over in the direction of the car before looking back at her. He shook his head for a second and, based on his expression, she was positive that he really didn't want to share what was really going on. She narrowed her eyes and tried to look even more threatening to get him to spill.

"He reminds me of  _Quincy_ ," Sully admitted reluctantly after a few seconds of silence.

A humourless scoff was Veronica's first reaction. "Of course  _my_  ex-boyfriend would remind you of  _yours_." Sully and Quincy had broken up before she'd met Sabrina, but she'd heard plenty about him over the years.

" _Tall, dark and handsome_ ," Sully added with a sarcastic tone.

"And that explains the endless parade of blondes you pursued afterwards."

Sully just shrugged in reply, not denying that she was right.

"Were you  _this_ bothered by him over Sterling's birthday weekend?" She still found it odd that if he'd already hung out with him previously that he'd still be so affected by it.

"Well, I was pretty smashed most of that weekend, but we have a strict  _'no alcohol and archery rule'_ , so—not so much today."

"And here I thought you didn't want them coming along because you wanted alone time with me," Veronica teased with a sly grin, hoping a little playfulness might lighten the mood.

"I always want alone time with you," Sully replied, a smirk forming on his lips again as he bumped his shoulder into hers. He let out a sigh. "Come on, let's go get you some food and me a stiff drink."

* * *

Knowing what was going on with Sully gave Veronica something to work with to try to keep things from getting even worse. It was probably a good thing that she'd never actually met Quincy in person, because even a resemblance to Logan wouldn't have stopped her from wanting to use her taser on him for being a complete asshole to Sully. Even though Sully had eventually walked away from their extremely unhealthy relationship, that didn't just wash away all the damage that had been left behind.

After a slightly more civilized lunch, the four of them headed back to the Sullivan house. Sabrina had texted Veronica earlier that they were going to do some shopping after the spa if she wanted them to swing back so she could go too, but she'd declined.

"We could all play billiards," Sterling suggested as they all filed into the house. There was a large family room in the basement which housed an exquisite pool table.

"Sure, we could do teams? What do you think, Vee?" Sully asked as he looked in her direction.

"I was thinking..." Veronica replied a little hesitantly, not really wanting to bail on Sully given the tough time he was having earlier, but feeling like he was doing a bit better after a couple drinks at lunch. "Since we have a couple hours until dinner, that I might borrow your car and go take some pictures. I brought my good camera along this time. You guys can all play, though."

"Oh," Sully stammered out, obviously a little thrown and disappointed by her response.

"I could go with Veronica, and you two can play," Logan quickly interjected. "Give you two some time to hang out together, too."

Sully shot a slightly concerned glance at Veronica. She'd already spent half the day alone with Logan on their flight out, so she wasn't really sure why Sully would be worried about them going off together now. Regardless, she didn't want Logan to feel obligated to accompany her either.

"It might be boring just following me around. I'm fine going on my own if you wanted to stay and play pool with them."

"I'd actually love to get a chance to explore the town a bit more. Maybe scout it out for a future article or something," Logan replied, sounding pretty determined.

"Well… don't be too long because you know Sabrina will throw a fit if you're later for the dinner," Sully warned, pulling his keys out of his pocket and tossing them to Veronica.

Veronica caught the keys and gave Sully a little wink. "Thanks—for the keys and the advice. I just need to run up to grab my camera. Be back in a jiffy."

As she ran up the stairs, she heard Sully asking Sterling if he was feeling brave enough to put a wager on their game. She could make out the sound of both Sterling and Logan laughing as she reached her room and grabbed her camera. By the time she made it back downstairs, Sully and Sterling had already vanished to the basement, and Logan was leaning against the wall by the bottom of the stairs waiting for her.

"I could drive if you'd like?" he offered as they headed to the front door. "Or do you think Sully would get upset if I drove his car?" He paused a moment before he continued, his tone a bit acrimonious. "He seems a bit  _possessive_ of his things."

Veronica decided it was probably better to not get into exactly what Logan was implying by his comment. "He doesn't  _always_ mind sharing," she responded instead and tossed the keys to Logan. "And what he doesn't know, won't hurt him."

"I guess it's fair to say that Sabrina's not marrying Sterling for his money, given her brother drives a car easily worth fifty-grand and he just graduated from college last year," Logan commented as he climbed into the Aston Martin parked next to the BMW Sterling was driving earlier.

Veronica laughed and shook her head. "Nope. I do seem to have a way of ending up hanging around with people  _way_ above my social class, don't I?"

Logan laughed a bit uncomfortably and shook his head. "I didn't mean anything by that."

"Well it's true," Veronica countered, matter-of factly.

"So, where are we off to?" Logan asked as he started the car.

Veronica chuckled for a moment before she responded. "Don't forget you  _volunteered_ for this, when I tell you."

Logan quirked a brow at her obviously intrigued by her response.

"Sleepy Hollow Cemetery."

"Why am I not surprised," Logan replied with a deep laugh as he shook his head and turned to look over his shoulder so he could back the car out of the driveway.

They'd only made it a mile or so from the house before Logan spoke up again. "I didn't realize you and Sully were so close."

"Well, we did live together for about a year," Veronica replied, not really thinking much of it at all. It wasn't until Logan choked out a strangled  _'Oh_ ' that she realized he hadn't known that already. She'd been focusing on the scenery along the drive, but snapped her attention back to him based on his reaction.

"I thought you were roommates with  _Sabrina_ ," Logan muttered, definitely sounding thrown by what she'd just told him, but still keeping his focus noticeably steadfast on the road in front of him.

"We were… but Sully lived with us too. He was going to Boston University, while we were at Emerson, so the schools were close enough that he moved in with us for a while when his prior living arrangement became...  _untenable_."

"The same apartment that Sabrina still lives in?" Logan asked next, still not turning to look at her at all.

"Yes, the same  _two-bedroom_ apartment that Sabrina is still living in," Veronica responded a bit curtly, suddenly bristling at what felt like Logan's uninvited scrutiny. He certainly didn't have any right to question her about her past living situation or her friendship with Sully after all these years—especially not when he was dating a hot news reporter. "Is there a specific  _point_ you're trying to make?"

"Nope," he replied tersely. She watched as he tightly clenched his jaw, a motion she wondered if he even realized he did when he was angry or frustrated.

After stewing in silence for a few minutes, she finally spoke again."You don't have to keep me company at the cemetery if you'd rather drive around and check out other parts of town. I doubt the cemetery would make for a great travel destination for one of your articles anyway. You can just come back for me in an hour or so if you want," she suggested bluntly, feeling like letting him come along had been a bad idea.

"Come on, Veronica. I'm a literature major. Of course I want to check out the cemetery. Not only is Emerson there, but Louisa May Alcott and Nathaniel Hawthorne," he replied in the tone she knew he used when he wasn't going to be deterred.

"Just thought I'd give you the option," she replied, not quite as curtly as she'd been when she first suggested it. She hated that they'd seemed pretty comfortable around each other at the archery range and now they were at odds once again. After all these years, fighting with him was not what she wanted to do at all.

"Thanks, I appreciate it," he told her, finally turning to glance at her for a moment, his brows furrowed more in frustration than anger. Maybe he'd also realized that butting heads with her wasn't the way he wanted to spend the afternoon either.

* * *

Bonding over gravestones would probably sound absurd in most cases, but perhaps given their history it was almost fitting for them. After their minor spat in the car, they'd both been a bit brusque when they'd first started walking around the cemetery, but that seemed to quickly melt away in such a reverent surrounding. Logan was the one to instigate the calmer reverie as he started talking about works of some of the residents buried there. By the time they'd made it back to the car, Veronica was feeling more comfortable talking to Logan again, much like she had when they were close friends so many years before.

"So is it more fun taking pictures of headstones or cheating spouses?" Logan asked with a teasing smirk on the drive back when Veronica started looking through some of the pictures she'd taken.

Veronica chuckled softly and shook her head. "Unfortunately no one pays me to take pictures of gravesites… well unless the adulterer has some really weird fetishes," she shared as Logan visibly shuddered.

"Well maybe not gravesites, but I'm sure you could make some money doing freelance photography. Have you checked that out in addition to writing?"

Veronica shrugged her shoulders a bit. "I"ve actually submitted some shots for a few articles. They didn't pay as much as writing articles did though, and it's not really what I went to college for."

"But if you're good at it…  _and_ enjoy it," Logan paused and glanced inquisitively at her. "Do you enjoy it? Not the cheating spouse money shots, but other types of photography."

"Yeah, not as much as writing an investigative article, but I do enjoy taking photos—the non-salacious ones."

"I've never had much of an eye for it. Luckily the magazine has some great photographers that they'll usually send along for most of my articles. Sometimes they'll save money if they already have some good stock photos they can use for certain destinations though." Logan hesitated for a moment before he continued. As she glanced over at him she thought she saw a momentary flash of what looked like uncertainty crossing his face. As soon as the first word left his mouth Veronica realized why. "Paisley's sister is actually a pretty highly sought after photographer for some fashion magazines. I could introduce you to her if you think that might be something you'd like to hear more about."

She'd wondered if Logan would bring up his girlfriend at some point. They'd avoided talking about her on the flight out and no one had mentioned her at dinner either. The first time her name had come up was when Sully had been pestering him on the drive to the archery range. Obviously Logan and Paisley must be fairly serious or he probably wouldn't be willing to offer up an introduction to her sister. Although even if the woman wasn't Logan's girlfriend's sister, Veronica didn't think she'd take him up on it.

" _Fashion and moi?_  I haven't changed  _that_ much in four years," she teased in response, hoping that would dissuade him from pursuing it further.

Logan chuckled and nodded before momentarily shooting her a curious glance. "So what  _has_ changed in the last four years?"

"Besides me living with an extremely promiscuous guy for a year?"  _Obviously my judgment about snarky replies has not improved in four years._

" _Yeah_ , besides  _that_ ," Logan replied caustically, narrowing his eyes slightly as he checked traffic in her direction before turning left.

"Hmm… let's see… I mastered the craft of basket weaving," she teased in reply, hoping to lighten the mood again.

" _Underwater_?" Logan asked, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"That's so  _pass_ _é_ ," she replied haughtily, eliciting a soft laugh from Logan. "Now it's hanging upside down in a tree that adds an additional challenge."

"You always were an overachiever."

"Says the gainfully employed writer who flies his own plane."

"Yeah… I guess maybe out of the two of us, I've been the one who's changed the most. In hindsight, leaving Neptune—the entire country actually—forced me to finally grow up and stop acting like a self-indulgent asshole."

"You  _did_  hear me say ' _your own plane'_ , right?" Veronica asked mockingly.

"It's not too late for me to send you home on the bus, you know?" Logan countered smugly.

"But then who would you have to share your extensive repertoire of geographical trivia with?"

"If that was  _meant_  to be a compliment to keep you off the bus, I'm not sure your ass-kissing skills are up to the level I'd expect from the great Veronica Mars. Lucky for you there's still some time to work on it before we leave tomorrow."

"I was impressed you didn't crash the plane?" Veronica asked in an exaggeratedly innocent but questioning way as she tilted her head at him.

"The head tilt helps  _slightly_ , but you'll still need to do much better than that," he replied with a smirk.

Veronica let out a loud put out sigh. "I guess without you around my ass-kissing skills must have gotten rusty. I don't have an expert to learn from anymore."

"Still not working," Logan practically sing-songed in response.

"Your generosity for helping a gal in need is only outmatched by your uncanny knowledge of timeless inspirational quotes?" she asked, adding a lilt to her voice to sound more innocent.

Logan chuckled and nodded. "Okay, that's getting better. I still think you're mocking me though."

Veronica let out a gasp as if she were totally offended. "Never!" she replied , her expression aghast.

"Well then maybe you  _have_ changed in the last four years," he teased as he pulled into the Sullivan's driveway.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N - Thanks to everyone who's been reading. I really do appreciate all the kudos and comments. And as always, thanks to Bondopoulos for always for doing her beta magic on my writing! Additional comments at the end of this chapter.
> 
> Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.

 

When Logan and Veronica made it back to the house, Sully let them know that Sabrina and Sterling were locked away in Sabrina's room under the guise of getting ready for dinner. Veronica had commented to Logan as they walked up the stairs that she wanted to sneak in a shower before getting ready to go, but since there was only one guest bathroom on the second floor, she could wait if he wanted to use it first. He'd politely declined and said she could have it first before they separated and went into their adjacent rooms.

As Veronica walked back into her room after her shower, she found Sully stretched out on her bed, tossing some sort of squishy ball up in the air and catching it before tossing it again.

"Are you lost? I'm pretty sure your room is downstairs," she teased as she wandered in, closing the door behind her.

"I missed out on some quality Sonica time this afternoon, so I'm here to make up for it," he countered with a smug grin.

"Fair enough," Veronica replied, setting her bag of toiletries down on a dresser before joining him on the bed.

"So how was all that  _alone_ time with your ex?" Sully asked with his eyebrows raised and a devilish grin on his face. "First a long flight yesterday and now time alone  _sightseeing_?"

Veronica snickered and shook her head at him. "Did Sabrina coerce you into intel gathering?" she asked with a cocked brow.

" _Nooooo_ ," he answered a bit unconvincingly. "I was curious too."

"It was actually...  _fun_. Maybe all this time apart and him being unavailable... it just feels nice being able to talk to him again. We used to just be good friends for years before we got involved. Today with him actually felt more like it did back then."

Sully raised his eyebrows skeptically at her.

"What? You and I decided we were better off just being friends rather than ruining that with anything else. Why can't that be what works for me and Logan too now?"

"Well, Sabrina's going to be terribly disappointed by this report," Sully replied with a smirk. "Maybe I'll make up something better to tell her—he begged you to take him back, and even after you refused, he made a pass at you and tased him?"

Veronica laughed and shook her head. "You just want to imagine him getting tased don't you?"

An evil grin formed on Sully's face even though he tried to shake his head in disagreement.

"I'd better let you finish getting all beautified for dinner. Promise you'll dance with me tonight?" he asked as he stood up from her bed and tossed the squishy ball on top of one of the dressers.

"Of course," she replied as he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her temple. "But I hope you're planning to actually get a bit more dolled up if you expect me to be seen with you in public," she added teasingly.

He laughed and shook his head in amusement as he kissed her on the cheek one more time and headed out the door.

* * *

 

"I'm glad you can't actually shoot laser beams out of your eyes, or poor Livy might just be a pile of ash right now," Sully laughed as he slunk down in the chair next to Veronica.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Veronica quickly retorted, shifting her gaze down to the glass of wine in her hand. She twirled the crystal goblet slightly and watched the red liquid swirl around close to the edges. Of course Sully would laugh at her response.

"Sure, Vee. You were  _not_ just sending eye daggers across the room at Olivia for talking to your ex–who a little over an hour ago you claimed to be happy just being friends with."

"Maybe I'm still mad at  _her_  for hitting on—and going home with—a guy at your graduation party that she  _knew_  I liked."

"Come on, I've hit on—and gone home with—a guy you liked too, and you didn't get that mad at me. I think this is more about you being jealous she's flirting with Logan."

"A - the guy was  _way_ more into you than me, so I forgave you. And B - I'm  _NOT_ jealous."

Sully snickered, but appeared to be trying to make her think he agreed with her, nodding his head unconvincingly.

"She does know he has a  _girlfriend_ right?" Veronica asked, unable to hide the irritation in her tone.

"When has that ever stopped my cousin from shamefully flirting with a guy. At least the girlfriend isn't actually here this time because we both know that can get ugly— _entertaining_ , but ugly."

"She seemed pretty cozy with him from the minute she walked in. I take it she was here for Sterling's birthday too?"

"Regretting not accepting your invite for that weekend now?" Sully countered with a mischievous smirk. His smile softened when Veronica glared at him. "Well, at least Logan seems to be pretty good at fending off any advances," he added, glancing across the room where Logan and Olivia were standing near the bar talking.

"Yeah, he always was faithful when he was in a relationship," Veronica responded, conflicted suddenly about what that implied about Logan's feelings for Paisley.

A deep frown formed on Sully's face before he spoke. " _Unlike_  Quincy."

"The wine's delicious," Veronica quickly tossed out with a grimace, positive that Sully would pick up on her unsubtle attempt to change the topic.

Sully gave her a knowing look and reached for his halfway empty glass that he'd abandoned next to her when he'd gone over to talk to his grandfather. "Yes it is. Here's to moving on from past failures."

Veronica narrowed her eyes slightly. Definitely not the toast she would have made, but she still reached out to clink her glass against his.

"So I think we're about done here at the country club. Sabrina wants to move the party to Speakers. We took you there once or twice, right? The shitty nightclub in Marlborough that Sabrina and McKinley insist is so bad it's good?"

Veronica smirked and nodded. She knew Sully loathed the place, but just like many other visits before, he never argued with Sabrina about going there. And other than driving back into Boston, there weren't really many other options for live bands and dancing anyway. McKinley and Sabrina had graduated from high school together and had been sneaking into Speakers with fake ID way before they were old enough to legally go in.

"I'm sure Liv's looking forward to grinding against your ex on the dance floor," Sully continued, apparently unable to resist needling her. Her ' _seriously_ ' look made him laugh again. "Sorry... I'm sure she's  _not_?"

"We both know she likely  _is_ , but you didn't need to mention it," Veronica chided.

"Well if it makes you feel better, you can grind against me," Sully countered as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, earning a scoff and eye roll from Veronica.

* * *

 

Speakers had been fairly crowded when they arrived since it was a Saturday night and there was a live band performing. As Veronica had expected, Olivia had continued her pursuit of Logan once they'd all arrived. Veronica had reminded herself on the drive over with Sully that it really wasn't any of her business, but that still didn't quell her annoyance. Sully had dragged Veronica out to dance a few times, which helped put some physical distance between them at least. It hadn't escaped Veronica's attention that Logan hadn't gone out to dance with Olivia, or anyone else in their group either.

"Sully?" a masculine voice called out over the music on Veronica and Sully's way back to the corner that they'd all been congregated in.

"Hey, Preston!" Sully loudly greeted as the two men exchanged a quick, but hearty hug.

Veronica momentarily wondered if she was about to lose Sully for the rest of the evening before Preston turned to her with a magnanimous smile and extended his hand to her.

"Hi, I'm Preston," he shared as her hand slid into his. "Thought I should introduce myself since Sully has shitty manners."

"Whatever," Sully retorted shaking his head in disagreement. "Did you ever think I  _purposely_ never introduce you to people to save them from enduring your bullshit?"

Preston clutched his chest as if he'd actually been injured, causing Sully to scoff.

"I'm Veronica, and Sully does have shitty manners." Veronica never could stop herself from giving Sully a bad time.

Sully let out an over exaggerated sigh before he spoke again. "Preston went to highschool with us," he explained, gesturing in Preston's direction. "And Veronica was Sabrina's roommate at Emerson," he continued, pointing at Veronica.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you," Preston replied as Veronica pulled her hand away. "I need to go and make sure one of my overly intoxicated friends gets into a cab okay, but when I'm back, would you be kind enough to dance with me?"

Veronica glanced at Sully before answering. She knew if he actually cared, or if the guy was a major jerk, he'd definitely let her know. He gave her a reassuring smile as he shrugged, which meant he didn't completely object at least. "Sure, if you bump into me again, you can ask."

"Oh, I'll be sure to find you then," Preston said with a warm smile before waving to Sully and disappearing into the crowd.

"He's not actually an asshole, right?" Veronica confirmed as they continued walking back to the corner.

Sully chuckled and shook his head. "No, I would have interjected if he was. Preston's a good guy. Actually I'm a little surprised to see him here because I thought he was living in LA these days. I guess I'll have to find out what's up with him being out here when he gets back."

As they neared the corner booth that the group had been using, Veronica could tell that Olivia was still cozying up to Logan. She wasn't overtly hanging all over him, but was definitely still working her charms as much as she could. Logan gave Veronica a small smile when she was close enough to make eye contact. Sully started telling Sabrina, McKinley and Olivia that he'd just ran into Preston which drew pretty much everyone's attention to him, other than Logan who kept looking at Veronica.

" _Save me_ ," Logan mouthed silently, raising his eyebrows pleadingly at her.

Veronica couldn't help but smirk and immediately flashed back to rescuing Logan—or rather rescuing Gia from Logan's verbal attack—at Sadie Hawkin's their senior year at Neptune High.

Luckily Logan was sitting at the edge of the booth which made it easier to carry out a rescue mission. "Dance with me," Veronica ordered more than asked, reaching out her hand to him.

"Thank you," he whispered after standing up next to her. "She's so freaking persistent."

Veronica laughed and nodded as they made their way through the crowd to the dance floor.

"Do you think the fact I'm dancing with you, after turning her down several times, might be enough of a clue for her to leave me alone the rest of the night?" he asked, leaning in close enough so she could hear him over the din of the club.

"Nope," Veronica answered, loudly popping the 'P' at the end.

"Well I appreciate you providing me with a brief reprieve at least. I'm trying my best not to act like an asshole since we're both in the wedding party, but she's not making it particularly easy."

"That must be tough," Veronica teased with a wink, causing him to chuckle at her. "At least she's not Maid of Honor, so you won't have to walk her down the aisle."

Sabrina and Sterling had surprisingly decided to keep the wedding party small and so far there was just McKinley, Olivia, Logan and Sully, with McKinley and Logan getting the top spots. Although Veronica wouldn't be surprised if the list expanded before the wedding date several months away.

Logan let out a humorless chuckle and shook his head. "Maybe I can convince Sterling and Sabrina to just elope and skip the whole wedding thing?"

Veronica gave him a dramatically skeptical look, which caused him to laugh more genuinely as they walked out onto the dance floor.

After a few minutes of dancing, Logan glanced back at the corner before leaning into her. "So is Sully going to be pissed I stole his dancing partner? He seemed to be monopolizing your time tonight."

Veronica was a little taken aback by Logan's comment, but it was true that she'd mostly just been talking to Sully all night, even at the dinner. She hadn't really thought much about it since that's how they normally were whenever they were together. No one else ever seemed to mention it, though. She was actually surprised Logan had even noticed—or cared—given he'd been talking to Olivia all night. Although to be fair, she'd assumed he'd been enjoying Olivia's attention prior to his request for her to save him.

"I'm sure he'll only pout for a little while," she replied with a mischievous grin, earning a chuckle as Logan nodded understandingly.

After two songs, they decided to head back to the table. Veronica was a little surprised that instead of being unhappily waiting for their return, Olivia wasn't anywhere to be seen. In fact, Sully was the only one still at the table. Veronica scooted across the booth to sit next to Sully while Logan took his spot on the outside edge where he'd been sitting before they went out to dance.

"What happened to everyone else?" Veronica asked, snagging the beer Sully was drinking out of his hand and taking a long drink.

"McKinley convinced Olivia to go with her to ask a couple hot guys that were hanging out at the end of the bar to dance. I suppose after she struck out with Logan," Sully continued with a smirk and a nod in Logan's direction, "that she was up for an easier target."

Logan had a less than pleased expression on his face as he fidgeted with the label on the beer bottle in front of him. Veronica couldn't help but wonder if there was any way the two of them were ever going to actually get along. She was glad that Logan seemed to have matured enough to restrain himself from a rude rebuttal directed at Sully, but it was clear that neither one of them seemed to like each other much.

"Sabrina and Sterling went out to dance too. I guess you and Logan were too preoccupied to notice them," Sully continued, arching his brows suggestively.

"It's pretty crowded out there," Veronica countered with an irritated glare.

"Mm hmm," Sully replied, still smirking at her.

"Now that we're back, you should go ask that blonde who was flirting with you earlier to dance. I need a break and we can guard the table," Veronica suggested, although based on her tone, it likely sounded more like an order.

"Ah, Monique?" Sully said thoughtfully, scanning around the club apparently looking for the tall blonde who'd said hello to him when they'd first arrived.

Veronica didn't wait for Sully to say anything else before she slid out of the booth and gestured with her hand for him to get out. He hesitated for a few seconds before sliding out.

"Rest up so you can dance with me when I'm back," he told her as he pressed a kiss to her temple and then headed off into the crowd.

"Sorry. Sully can be a pain in the ass sometimes," she told Logan apologetically as she sat back down in the spot across from him. She reached back to where she'd sat Sully's beer and grabbed the glass, taking another drink from it.

"You don't need to apologize, Veronica," Logan replied with a slight shake of his head. "I've acted like an ass myself a number of times, so I can certainly handle being on the receiving end."

"Well, that doesn't really make it right." She paused and looked down at the table, feeling a bit unsure of herself for some reason. "Actually, when I first met Sully he reminded me a lot of you." She slowly glanced back up at Logan to gauge his reaction. He looked more intrigued by that than annoyed, so she gave him a faint smile.

"Hey, there you are," Preston said as he suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Sully said you were back in this corner. I'd still love to dance with you if you're willing," he directed at Veronica with a hopeful smile.

Veronica glanced at Logan, who gave her a tight smile and gestured with his hand toward the dance floor. "Go ahead, I can watch the table."

"Are you sure?" she asked, feeling a little guilty leaving him there all alone.

"Positive," he answered, smiling reassuringly as he nodded.

Veronica thanked him quickly and then let Preston lead her out to the dance floor.

* * *

 

Veronica was surprised at how much she was enjoying talking to Preston. After dancing for a few songs, he'd asked her if she needed a drink and they'd ended up somewhat sequestered in the opposite corner of the club from where the rest of the group had been. Since they'd passed by Sully on their way there, she wasn't too worried about anyone looking for her.

As Sully had mentioned, Preston was living in LA, but had flown home that weekend for his mom's birthday. He'd shared with Veronica that he worked for a marketing firm in LA and had just been assigned a new account for a custom surfboard company, but was totally clueless about anything related to surfing. After telling him that she had a brilliant idea, she took his hand and dragged him back across the club to the booth where she'd left Logan.

"I didn't properly introduce you two before," Veronica started as she slid into the booth across from Logan after waving for Preston to slide in first. "Preston, this is Logan, the best surfer I know in California."

Logan's eyes opened a bit wider in amusement as he reached across the table to shake Preston's hand. "I can't recall you  _ever_ introducing me  _that_ way, so I've got to admit my curiosity is definitely piqued."

"Have you heard of Baja Boards?" Preston asked, a hopeful expression on his face.

Logan's eyes opened a bit wider as he nodded, glancing quickly at Veronica before looking back at Preston. "Yeah—they make some pretty kick ass surfboards. Top of the line for what's available right now. They're actually in pretty limited distribution currently, so it's hard to get your hands on one."

Preston smiled broadly as he acknowledged Logan's comment with a nod of his own. "What would you say if I offered you a deal to get one if you'd impart some of your surfing knowledge upon me? I work for a marketing company that Baja just hired to put a campaign together and I could really use some help. I know there's a waiting list for the boards, but they should have better availability soon and they offered me one  _IF_ they like what I come up with."

"And  _IF_ they don't?" Logan asked, looking a bit more sternly at Preston.

" _Logan_!" Veronica quickly chastised.

"I'm just kidding," Logan retorted, giving her one of his ' _you should know me better than that_ ' looks.

* * *

 

Veronica wasn't sure if Logan had really been interested in helping Preston, or if it had just given him a good excuse to avoid dancing with Olivia. But regardless of what his motivation actually was, Logan had spent a fair amount of time talking with Preston while Veronica resumed dancing with Sully. She'd also gone out to dance a few more times with Preston, who was extremely grateful that she'd hooked him up with Logan. Her spending time with Preston hadn't gone unnoticed by Sabrina who decided extending an invitation to Preston to join them all for brunch in the morning was a good idea. Sully had given Veronica a knowing look while that was happening, of course both of them realizing Sabrina was likely moving on from trying to reconnect Veronica with Logan to fixing her up with Preston instead.

Waking up so early combined with a full day of activity started to hit Veronica shortly after midnight, and she ended up practically falling asleep at the table, resting her head against Sully's shoulder, while Sully and Preston caught up on happenings in each other's lives since the last time they'd seen each other.

"I'm pretty beat," Logan suddenly announced, causing Veronica to sit up and stifle her own yawn. "I was traveling last week and my body is definitely not liking all these time zone changes," he added, giving the others an apologetic look.

Sully glanced at Veronica as she unsuccessfully stopped herself from yawning a second time. "You too?" Sully asked looking a bit amused by her current condition. "I wondered why you were so  _cuddly_ all of a sudden. We can go—"

"I could take Veronica if you wanted to stay longer," Logan offered, quickly cutting off whatever else Sully was going to say. "That is if you don't mind me driving your car and you riding back with Sterling and Sabrina."

Sully looked conflicted about whether to stay or go, glancing between Logan and Veronica a couple of times.

"You should stay," Veronica told Sully with a reassuring smile. He seemed to be enjoying his chance to catch up with Preston from the fragments of their conversation that she did catch. "Logan will be careful with your  _baby_ , I promise," she added teasingly.

"I wouldn't want anything to happen to my  _car_ either," Sully countered with a smug grin and quick wink.

Veronica chuckled and shook her head at Sully before leaning in and placing a kiss on his cheek. "No waking me up at the crack of dawn tomorrow, buddy. I did bring my taser along and I'm not afraid to use it this time," she threatened, narrowing her eyes at him. She knew Sully wouldn't actually take her seriously, but she forgot about Preston not knowing her that well and noticed his eyes widened at her comment.

"Anyone who knows you and still thinks waking you up when you're sleeping is a good idea, deserves whatever fate may fall upon them. I always made sure to move your taser into the other room whenever you stayed over," Logan interjected with a sly grin, catching Veronica a bit off guard. Over the last two days, they seemed to have completely avoided any comments that even hinted at any of their past intimacy. She caught a slight eyebrow raise from Sully and worried about what he might decide to add so she quickly tried to change the conversation.

"I guess we'll be seeing you in the morning for brunch," she directed with a kind smile at Preston. "Thanks for dancing with me tonight, it was a lot of fun."

"Yeah, my pleasure," Preston replied, the surprise at the prior couple of comments erased from his expression.

"Keys, please?" Veronica continued, holding her hand out to Sully.

She could tell by his expression that Sully knew she was trying to escape before he had a chance to say something that she likely wouldn't be happy about. She was actually surprised that he kept his mouth shut and simply handed her his keys with an amused grin.

"And thanks again for all your help," Preston directed at Logan appreciatively.

"Don't I get thanked for  _anything_?" Sully asked petulantly.

"No," all three of them answered in unison, causing them all to laugh and Sully to let out a huff of exaggerated annoyance.

Preston was close enough to slap his hand on Sully's shoulder as he mumbled that he was just kidding. Veronica gave them both a little wave and then followed Logan through the crowd toward the exit.

"Did you want me to drive if you're all messed up from bouncing between too many time zones?" Veronica asked as they reached the car. She could tell by the contrite look that formed on Logan's face before he looked down at the ground that he must have lied as an excuse to leave.

"You um... You looked a bit uncomfortable trying not to fall asleep at the table, so I thought I'd speak up in case you were ready to call it a night," he confessed as he slowly tilted his head to glance up at her.

She certainly appreciated his concern, even if she hadn't expected him to worry about her at all. "Well, thanks." She could tell that her response must have put whatever concerns he had at ease, based on the small smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I really am exhausted, so I'll gladly turn the driving over to you," she added as she held out the keys for him.

"Anytime," he replied as he clicked off the car alarm and opened the passenger door for her.

* * *

 

"Veronica?"

"Mmmm?" she mumbled, her brain trying to process who had just said her name. The familiar sounding masculine voice was barely above a whisper and for a moment she wondered if she'd just dreamt it.

"Hey, we're here."

She felt a warm hand gently squeeze her shoulder, pulling her further out of the sleepy haze she was in. She opened her eyes to see Logan's warm brown eyes staring back at her.  _Oh right, not a dream_.

"While this car is pretty comfortable, I'm pretty sure your bed upstairs is probably even more comfortable for sleeping," he continued, looking at her with a bit of amusement.

_And in another life, it would be more comfortable for other things too_. She shook her head slightly, not happy with where her half-asleep mind had gone.

"I'm going to charge you extra if I have to carry you inside," Logan continued, his voice taking on an even more teasing tone.

"Like you're getting paid at all," she countered, unbuckling and then stretching in her seat as she started to wake up more. Unfortunately since they hadn't eaten for several hours, as she stretched her stomach rumbled loudly.

Logan seemed to try to hide his snicker, but he wasn't particularly discreet about it. "I'm thinking you're not going to survive until brunch are you?" he teased, eliciting a slight glare from her. "Oh come on, don't try to pretend you're not hungry. I know you too well for that," he continued with a smug grin. "Wasn't there a twenty-four hour diner that we passed on the way to the cemetery, and if I recall correctly, they had something in their window about the best pie in town."

Veronica's stomach involuntarily growled again at the mention of pie.

"Unless you're too tired to eat?" Logan asked, raising his eyebrow in a challenging way.

"You had me at pie," she replied with a sly grin, as she reached for the seat belt and buckled it back in place.

* * *

 

They'd completely lost track of time, sitting in the diner enjoying their desserts while they reminisced about the good parts of their past—most all of them being pre-Lilly's death. She couldn't quite figure out why it seemed so much easier to talk to him now than it used to be. She hated to admit to herself that maybe it was because he was so past being interested in her that he didn't have to be on guard now. That he finally saw her as he used to, back before they had dated, back when she was just Lilly's best friend and he was Duncan's—when things were much less complicated than they ended up years later.

She had cringed slightly as she heard an alert from her cell phone for an incoming text message. Given how late it was, she wasn't terribly surprised to see a ' _Where are you?!_ ' message from Sully. It also wasn't surprising that he was sitting on the front steps of the house, waiting, as they finally pulled into the driveway thirty minutes later.

"I promise she's in the same pristine condition as when we left," Logan assured him, sounding a bit annoyed as he tossed the keys to Sully when they reached the porch.

"She'd better be," Sully grumbled as he caught the keys and shot a serious glance in Veronica's direction.

Veronica was behind Logan a few steps and shook her head at Sully, not wanting him to get into anything with Logan.

"I'll see you two in the morning," Logan muttered as he continued past Sully and disappeared into the house.

"What's with the waiting up for us routine?" Veronica asked with her arms crossed defiantly in front of her chest. "I texted you that we were fine and just grabbing dessert. You didn't have to lurk out here waiting for us like an overprotective dad or something."

Sully let out a defeated sigh and stared down at the ground for a few seconds before meeting her gaze again. "I'm sorry… I just don't trust him, I guess… I know you do, but I don't."

Veronica let out a disbelieving scoff. "Look Sully, I'm sorry that he reminds you of Quincy, but he's not him and it's not fair for you to treat him the way you have."

This time Sully was the one to loudly scoff. "Come on, Vee, we both know he's not exactly a saint either. As I recall from several late night conversations, the two of you didn't just  _amicably_ end things and go your separate ways. I know you never imagined I'd actually meet him when you told me all about your past with him, but that doesn't change the facts. You can't deny that his jackass behavior definitely played a key role in the demise of your relationship with him."

"Well, it was a hell of a lot easier to share all the shitty stuff he did, so I wouldn't actually  _miss_ him being in my life," Veronica growled in frustration. "It hurt too much to share all the  _good_ things he did for me because he wasn't there anymore and I didn't want to have to admit that I ran away when things got tough instead of staying and trying to fix them. And those problems  _weren't_ all his fault." Veronica paused, taking a deep breath while she glanced up at the star-filled sky. "I'm too exhausted to have this conversation with you," she told him a few seconds later, looking back at him. "But I want you to stop being a dick to him. He doesn't deserve it."

Veronica could tell from the way Sully's brows furrowed and the set of his mouth that he hated that she was angry with him, but as usual he was being too stubborn to admit he was wrong and apologize, but she was confident that by morning, he'd change his tune. This wasn't the first disagreement the two of them had experienced since becoming friends, and she knew the bond they shared was stronger than any single argument could sever. She really was just too exhausted to deal with him anymore that night so she stomped past him toward the front door.

"I'm sorry, Veronica," Sully muttered, surprising her with how quickly he'd actually admitted he was wrong this time.

Veronica glanced back over her shoulder at him with an irritated scowl. While she appreciated the gesture, it still wasn't enough. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," she told him before opening the door and heading inside.

When Veronica made it to the top of the stairs, the door to the shared bathroom was just opening. Logan stepped out into the hall but stopped and leaned against the doorframe when he spotted her.

"Everything okay with you and Sully?" Logan asked in a low tone, his forehead creasing worrisomely. "I certainly didn't mean to piss him off even more by offering to take you home early or taking you for pie. Although, I'm guessing from the look he shot me downstairs that he probably thinks I'm purposely being an asshole and trying to sabotage his time with you. I'm obviously going to be the least popular member of the wedding party after this weekend, aren't I?"

"No it's not—" Veronica started before Logan let out a humourless scoff.

"Oh come on, Veronica. It was pretty clear at breakfast—and the rest of the day really—that Sully doesn't like sharing you with anyone else and that he really doesn't like me. I suppose being as close as the two of you are, if he even knows a fraction of the shit I've done to you in the past, he's never going to like me anyway and I don't blame him."

Veronica sighed deeply and shook her head emphatically before she spoke again. "No, Sully's issues with you lie more in the fact that you remind him of  _his_ ex-boyfriend who was an even bigger asshole than you ever were. Unfortunately you two seem to have an uncanning resemblance to each other, but I've already told him to stop being a dick to you because that's not your fault."

"Oh… I didn't realize…" Logan stuttered slightly as his concerned expression became more bemused. "Sterling didn't mention…"

"That Sully dates guys too?" Veronica asked, raising her brows questioningly.

"No… I knew that… I didn't know that I look like one of his exes. I figured it had more to do with you."

"Oh… well I sort of doubt that Sterling ever met him, so he may not have known." Veronica paused, sighing slightly. "I'm sorry that the two of you are off to such a rocky start. And you're probably partially right that some small part of his behavior is due to me. He can be a bit..."

" _Possessive_?" Logan offered when she stopped for a second to figure out what word to use.

"No… I'd say more  _protective_ … actually, that's what I was going to say earlier at the club—how the two of you reminded me of each other—just like  _you_ he's fiercely loyal and very protective of the people he cares about."

Logan smirked slightly before he continued. "Well I still think there's a little bit of  _possessiveness_ there too, but I can understand being protective over the people you care about." His smirk softened into a more affectionate smile before he continued. "Even if I did piss him off, I'm still happy I got to spend some extra time with you tonight. It was fun catching up and just hanging out. I um…" he paused and looked nervously down at the floor before he glanced back up at her eyes. "I know we sort of failed the last time we tried being friends, but I really hope you'll give me another chance."

Even if they'd failed before, this time things really did feel different between them. She certainly hadn't expected this opportunity to arise when Sabrina had cajoled her into flying out for the weekend, but she was definitely grateful now for this chance. Of course she still wasn't very comfortable being too serious about it in front of him. "How can I pass up the offer to be friends with a guy that has his own plane," she replied with a playful wink.

Logan chuckled and shook his head. "Good thing for you that I have a really reasonable rate for  _friends_. It's much cheaper than my  _friend of friends_  rate which you would have at least otherwise qualified for."

Veronica bit on her lip to keep from smiling too broadly. He'd certainly heard her own friend of friends rate offer several times back when they were together. Before she could respond, that crooked half smile of his that always seemed to make her feel all warm and fuzzy inside had formed on his face. And like all the times before it still had the same effect on her.  _Maybe being just friends is going to be a lot more work than I'd thought._

"Sweet dreams, Veronica," he told her with a small wink as he pushed off the wall, glancing back over his shoulder at her for a second before he disappeared into his room.

_**A/N - So I thought I should mention that this is the end of part one. I'm sure I may get a few complaints about that, but Veronica will be back in California when the next chapter picks up again. I hope you all enjoyed the first part of this story and will come back for more!** _


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slow burn LoVe is so difficult to write! I can only imagine that it's probably even worse to read! I really appreciate everyone who keeps coming back for the updates and love the comments too - even if I haven't had time to reply to them all yet! I guess this story was my attempt to try for something a little different than my others, for better or worse! Something more in the space between my really long stories and the much shorter one-shots.
> 
> As always, thanks to Bondopoulos for always for doing her best to keep me on track!
> 
> Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.

As usual, several cases of adultery and insurance fraud awaited Veronica when she'd returned to Neptune. While it was nice to be busy, she couldn't help but think about how much she'd enjoyed her short trip out to Massachusetts. Even though she'd tried to stay in touch with Sully and Sabrina after she'd moved back to California, conversations over the phone just weren't the same as physically being there with them. She was even willing to admit—at least to herself, if noone else—that getting a chance to reconnect with Logan was also a very nice surprise. She found herself thinking back over their brief time together on several occasions since she'd returned to Neptune, especially when she'd see something that reminded her of him. She couldn't resist sending off a quick text to Logan one evening when one of the cheating husbands she'd been tailing had actually met his mistress outside a cemetery. He teased her about finally getting to take that one  _'special'_  money shot. She even found herself wondering on more than one occasion why things had gotten so bad between them in the past. That seemed like so long ago now and all of her prior justifications for it really didn't feel convincing anymore. She was certain this time though that she didn't want to lose him again—him being  _'out of her life forever'_  had left a large gaping hole that was finally starting to slowly fill again.

A call from Sabrina about three weeks after her trip to Massachusetts caused all those feelings to bubble right back to the forefront of her mind. Veronica's last day in Concord had felt extremely rushed with her and Logan needing to fly back right after they'd all had brunch together. Veronica had certainly been a little apprehensive when she'd walked into the restaurant and seen Preston already waiting for them. Veronica had been able to pretty skillfully control the situation at the club the night before, but she worried that in more relaxed atmosphere, Sabrina would make things awkward for them. Sabrina was never one for subtlety and had frequently tried to set Veronica up with guys when they were living together. Surprisingly though, Sabrina had been noticeably reserved, and Veronica couldn't help but wonder if Sterling had been an influencing factor or not. Whatever the reason, Veronica was thankful that the meal had gone by smoothly.

Of course that restraint would only be short lived. Sabrina had called to let Veronica know that she and Sterling were planning to fly out to LA to look at a plane that Sterling was considering purchasing. In addition to Sully coming out with them, Sabrina took great pleasure in letting Veronica know that Preston planned to join them as well. Sabrina had made a specific point of informing Veronica that Preston was really looking forward to the chance to spend some time with her again. Sabrina—being the exuberant social planner that she was—had already lined up plans for dinner, then tickets to a comedy show, followed by several different nightclub options.

The mild teasing about Preston's interest in her was at least bearable during their call, although Veronica quickly realized that perhaps there was an alternative motive for why Sabrina hadn't taken things as far as she normally had in the past. It didn't escape Veronica's notice that Sabrina had waited until she'd gotten a firm agreement that Veronica would join them to slip in that Logan and Paisley would also likely be joining them before ending the call.

Even on the long flight back, Paisley hadn't come up in conversation, probably because Veronica really hadn't wanted to hear all about her from Logan. Veronica wasn't going to change her mind about joining everyone in LA just to avoid watching Logan with another woman, but she wasn't really looking forward to it either. She didn't exactly equate Preston being there on the same level, even if Preston was interested in her. But she had meant what she'd said about being friends with Logan when they were in Massachusetts and avoiding him when his girlfriend would be around wouldn't be something a good friend would do. After her first text about the cemetery liaison they'd continued texting each other on other topics, but she hadn't heard much from him in the last two weeks because he had headed off to Romania for work and she figured his cell service was probably spotty in the locations he'd ended up visiting.

Sabrina and Sterling had rented a penthouse suite at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills and offered to let Veronica crash in one of the three bedrooms so she wouldn't have to drive back to Neptune at the end of the night. Veronica had offered to pick the three up at the airport, but they'd already booked a rental, so she'd driven her car up to LA and just met them at the hotel. Since they'd taken an early morning flight, they ended up in LA by noon with the time difference, so they had a fair amount of time to kill before their dinner reservations.

She'd managed to pass on shopping with Sabrina in Massachusetts, so Veronica relented and let Sabrina drag her around for a little while. Thanks to a big bonus on a case she'd just closed, she even let herself splurge a little on a sexy new dress to wear for the night. The red dress was definitely a little tighter and shorter than she normally wore, but for whatever reason she was feeling like being bold. When she'd seen the dress at the shop, she'd immediately heard Lilly's voice in her head.  _You're red satin, not a yellow cotton dress, Veronica_.

"Wowza," Sully exclaimed with wide eyes when Veronica and Sabrina finally joined Sterling and Sully at the hotel bar after getting ready to go out for the night. "If I'd known how smokin' hot California Vee was, I would have spent a lot more time out on this coast," he teased with a smirk as he stood up and leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek.

"This  _old_ thing," she said with a coy smile. "I think it's just the jetlag that's impairing your judgment—that or the two scotches you've already polished off," she added as she glanced at the two empty glasses on the bar where he'd been sitting. He gave her a sly smile and shrugged as he sat back down on his bar stool. She wondered if he was gearing up to have to deal with another night of Logan as well—while her coping mechanism may have been to make herself look as hot as possible, Sully's still seemed to be getting smashed. At least she wouldn't end up with a terrible hangover.

"Preston said he'd meet us here and then we can head to dinner," Sully informed Sabrina as he glanced down at his watch. "He should be here any minute actually."

"And Logan and Paisley?" Sabrina asked Sterling, reaching over to snag his glass and steal a sip of the amber liquid. From the way she squished up her face, the drink must have been much stronger than she expected.

"Logan texted five minutes ago that they're not going to be able to make it to dinner, but would try to catch up with us at the comedy club. I already called the restaurant and changed the reservation," Sterling informed Sabrina as he gave her an amused grin and took his glass away from her. "We could order another round of drinks while we wait for Preston."

"Sounds good to me," Sabrina agreed, glancing at Veronica with a questioning look. Veronica nodded in agreement as well. "Why don't we grab a table though instead of sitting at the bar? You can order me a Cosmo while I go snag that spot over there," Sabrina informed Sterling, pointing to a table in the corner before giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"I'll take the same," Veronica added, smiling slyly at Sully before she turned and followed Sabrina to the table.

"If I'm going to be your bar bitch, I expect some compensation later," Sully called after her with a chuckle.

* * *

Preston arrived when they were about halfway through their drinks. It was easy to tell, from the way his face lit up, that he was also very taken by Veronica's appearance. They'd all stood up to greet him, Sabrina first with a big hug, followed by hand shakes with Sully and Sterling, leaving Veronica to go last. Preston had hesitated for a second, perhaps wondering if Veronica would care if he hugged her since they really didn't know each other that well. Veronica gave him a reassuring smile as she made the first move with her arms outstretched to hug him.

"It's great to see you again," Preston said fondly as he squeezed her gently for a few seconds.

"You too," Veronica replied with a shy smile as they separated.

"Can I get you a drink?" Sully offered Preston as the other three sat back down on their chairs. Sully wrapped his arm across Preston's shoulder with an affectionate half hug gesture. "You've got some catching up to do since we all started without you."

"Yeah, I can tell," Preston replied with a low chuckle. "And I'm guessing  _you're_ currently in the lead."

Sully gave him a quick wink and nodded before turning and heading back toward the bar.

"How many drinks has he had exactly?" Sabrina asked Sterling, an irritated expression forming on her face. "I don't want him completely shit-faced before we even make it to dinner."

Sterling shrugged and stared down at his drink, apparently trying to recall how many drinks Sully may have had. "I'm sure he'll be fine, and we'll get him to slow down when we get to the restaurant."

Sabrina growled in annoyance.

"I'll go check on him," Preston offered, standing back up from the seat he'd just taken. "At least make sure he doesn't get another one now for himself."

"Thanks, Preston," Sabrina told him with an appreciative smile. "He'd probably listen to you better than me anyway."

"No problem," Preston answered, shooting a quick smile in Veronica's direction before turning and following Sully to the bar.

"He ran into Quincy three days ago," Sabrina shared with Veronica, frowning as she glanced toward Sully and Preston at the bar.

"What? He didn't mention it to me when he called yesterday," Veronica replied, also glancing over to where Preston and Sully were chatting at the bar. That certainly wasn't going to make Logan being around later any easier for Sully.

"I probably should have given you a heads up earlier, but I thought he seemed fine when we caught our flight this morning," Sabrina continued with a shrug. "Well he insisted he was fine anyway."

"Is he still seeing the strawberry blonde?" Veronica asked, realizing he'd never actually told her the girl's name.

"Charlotte?" Sabrina replied, looking more at Sterling than Veronica. Sterling shrugged, before nodding, clearly not positive that was her name. "Maybe it was Charleen... anyway, no, I don't think so. I think that fizzled out after date four or five. I knew if he stayed in Boston he was likely to bump into Quincy since they frequent some of the same spots. Maybe Preston can convince him to give LA a try for a while. I know they were discussing it at the brunch after you and Logan left."

"I'm sure your parent's would  _love_ that," Veronica countered, sarcasm obvious in her tone. She knew how close the four of them had always been, which led to the twins going to college still relatively close to home.

"Well it would give them an excuse to come visit  _you_ too," Sabrina replied with a smug grin.

"I still think—even with my presence being an  _undeniable perk_ — that they would rather Sully stayed some place closer to Massachusetts. I thought he was considering a job in DC?"

Sabrina shrugged. "He may still be. You know Sully. He's a bit unpredictable sometimes."

" _Sometimes_?" Veronica scoffed with an eyeroll.

"Okay...  _always_ unpredictable."

"Yeah," Veronica agreed, nodding as she finished off her drink. "I'll see if I can't get them to skip a drink for Preston so we can get to dinner. I'm starving."

Sabrina laughed as she nodded understandingly.

Veronica wandered over to where the two guys were still standing together chatting at the bar. She gave Preston a friendly smile as she wrapped her arm around Sully's waist and leaned into him. Knowing he'd had to deal with Quincy a few days before, she couldn't help wanting to give him some extra comfort now. "Hey... if you haven't snagged the bartender yet, can we head off for dinner? I haven't eaten in hours and you know how much work shopping with your sister can be."

Sully chuckled and nodded as he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Yeah, we wouldn't want you to waste away. I swear you're already thinner than when you were living with us in Boston."

"I'm positive  _that's_ not true—not with all the crappy junk food I end up eating on stake-outs," she countered.

"Stake-outs?" Preston asked, a confused look on his face as he glanced between the other two. "I thought you were a journalist?"

"Oh, well, I am... but I also work with my dad as a private investigator," Veronica explained, realizing they hadn't really talked much about what she did when she was in Massachusetts. She'd mentioned going to Emerson to become an investigative journalist, but hadn't brought up what she was mostly doing at the moment for an income.

"She's our very own Nancy Drew," Sully interjected with a sly smile. "I tried calling her Miss Mars-ple for a while, but she didn't appreciate it."

"Well she certainly doesn't resemble an old English spinster," Preston replied with a broad grin.

"See! He get's it," Sully exclaimed excitedly. "Marple... Mars-ple... I thought it was at least as clever as Sonica."

"Stop," Veronica demanded with a firm tone and a mildly threatening expression as well, although there wasn't much seriousness behind it. "I'm seriously going to start calling you  _Henry the Third_  again if you keep it up."

Preston bit on his lower lip, obviously trying to suppress a laugh.

Sully let out an amused huff and kissed her temple again. "Can I at least keep using Vee? You know me and my difficulty using words with lots of syllables."

"Fine," Veronica relented smiling up at him affectionately. "Hey Preston, can you let Sabrina and Sterling know we're ready to go," she asked, glancing at him for a moment.

Preston smiled and nodded before turning to head back to the table.

Sully reached down and pushed a loose strand of hair off of Veronica's cheek. "She told you, didn't she?" he asked with a raised brow.

Veronica wasn't sure what had given it away, but given how in synch the two of them always seemed to be regarding what the other was thinking, she wasn't surprised. She smiled sympathetically at him and nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry. Why didn't you tell me when we talked yesterday?"

Sully shrugged and broke eye contact with her, his gaze moving vacantly around the room at nothing in particular. "I don't know... didn't want to burden you with my shit again I guess."

Veronica tightened her hold around his waist and lightly bumped her hip into his. "Come on, you know your shit is my favorite." He at least chuckled slightly at her lame attempt to lighten the mood. "Hey, we could blow the rest of the group off. Just go do our own thing if you'd rather?" she added with an encouraging smile.

"Nope," Sully quickly replied, focus directly on her again. "Preston's been looking forward to seeing you ever since Sabrina set this little shindig up. I'm not going to be responsible for disappointing him. I think the guy's a bit smitten with you."

"Well, who could blame him?" Veronica teased back sarcastically.

"Definitely not me," Sully replied with a fond grin before leaning in and kissing her temple again.

* * *

Not only had dinner been absolutely delicious, but getting another chance to hang out with the other four had Veronica feeling nostalgic for her time back East. The topic of Sully moving out to LA had come up while they were eating, and Preston filled him in on some graphic designer positions they had open at his marketing firm. Not surprisingly, Veronica had found herself really liking the idea of Sully being close by again.

Even though Veronica was still in touch with Wallace and Mac, neither had stuck around Neptune after graduating from Hearst. They would both come back occasionally to visit their families though, so she did get to see them on occasion, but those visits seemed few and far between. Mac had taken a position with a tech company in the Bay Area, and Wallace had gone on to work on a master's degree in New York. Wallace had denied that his choice to move out there had anything to do with Jackie, but Veronica wasn't quite buying that. She knew they'd started talking again and had seen each other a few times when Jackie and her son had come out to visit her dad in Neptune. Even if Veronica had been away at Emerson, she'd still kept some tabs on her two close friends back home.

The prospect of Sully moving out to LA had actually given her pause on what to do in regards to Preston. While it was exceptionally easy to tell that he was interested in her, she was worried about what would happen to their overall dynamic if she were to pursue a romantic relationship with him and have it not succeed. She'd learned her lesson from the whole Wallace/Piz debacle that dating a friend of one of your best friends made things extremely uncomfortable when they fell apart. She'd experienced enough of that when she'd come home from Emerson for breaks and had to deal deal with juggling her time with Wallace when Piz was around. If Sully did move out to LA, he'd certainly be spending a lot of time with Preston, which had the potential for complications if things went poorly. She was torn though because Preston really did seem like a great guy.

Veronica had noticed that Sterling had sent a few text messages on his phone during dinner, but she wasn't sitting close enough to hear what he'd whispered to Sabrina about it. She did notice a slightly annoyed expression cross Sabrina's face momentarily after one of the texts, which had definitely piqued Veronica's interest. No one had mentioned anything about Logan and Paisley since they'd left the hotel bar, and she'd wondered if they were still planning to catch up to them at some point or not. She certainly wasn't going to be the one to bring them up though.

They'd been shown to their table at the comedy club and had just placed an order for a round of drinks when Veronica saw Sterling pull his phone out again. He sort of glanced around the club for a minute before typing in a reply, making Veronica think it was likely Logan he was texting and that he was giving him instructions on how to find their table. The five of them had already taken seats on the back side of the table from the stage, leaving three empty chairs on the opposite side, which Veronica suddenly realized meant she'd have to watch Logan and Paisley canoodling throughout the entire show right in front of her. She obviously hadn't planned it very well when she'd taken her seat at the table, but it was too late to make a change now.

At least the waitress had returned with their drinks before Sterling stood up with a broad smile on his face. Veronica was sitting more in the middle of the group—between Preston and Sully—and would have had to turn to look over her shoulder to see Logan and Paisley from the direction of the entrance to the club, which she wasn't going to do. Even though there was some background music in the club as they waited for the comedian to start, she could still hear Sterling and Logan greet each other and saw the two of them shaking hands out of the corner of her eye. She took a steadying breath as she saw Logan start to move past Sterling, plastering a friendly smile on her face even though she wasn't looking forward to seeing him with his girlfriend.

Preston had been on the opposite end of the table from Sterling on Veronica's right and Logan walked around so he could say hello to him and shook his hand as well. Logan shot an acknowledging look at Sully and nodded his head, but didn't try to get close enough to shake his hand. Logan gave Veronica a friendly smile as he pulled one of the empty chairs a bit closer to Preston. Veronica turned back toward Sterling to see if Paisley had just been delayed talking to him, but Sterling had already sat back down and was talking to Sabrina.

As Veronica turned back toward the stage, the music stopped and the host appeared to announce the first comedian. Evidently the mystery of the missing reporter would have to wait until after the comedy show to solve.

* * *

"Ditched again," Sully leaned over and whispered into her ear right before the emcee took his place at the mic.

The comedy show was entertaining, although Veronica kept getting distracted studying Logan to figure out if he had been temporarily ditched or permanently dumped. He didn't seem too distraught, so she settled on temporarily ditched—again—which then led her to wondering how often his girlfriend actually did this to him. It certainly wasn't a topic she felt comfortable discussing with him since she was worried it could come off more as jealous ex-girlfriend territory than concerned friend. Logan and Preston seemed to share a few comments and laughs back and forth during the show, which was a great buffer since she was pretty sure Sully hadn't warmed up to Logan at all yet. She was pretty sure Sully's own animosity was what prompted him to ask the question she wasn't willing to when the show was finally over.

"All alone again? If I hadn't met your girlfriend in person, I'd start to think she was just a figment of your imagination," Sully volleyed at Logan as they were all starting to stand up after the main lights in the club had come back on.

"Yeah," Logan started, definitely sounding a bit irritated with Sully, but answering him nonetheless. "She had a last minute assignment drop in her lap, so I helped get her to the airport to catch her flight on time," Logan explained.

"She must have a ton of frequent flyer miles with how often she flies off and leaves you," Sully commented dryly.

Veronica could see Logan tighten his jaw, but he let out a small chuckle and nodded in response.

"Maybe it's  _you_ she's avoiding," Veronica interjected giving Sully an irritated glare. "You do seem to be one of the common denominators in the equation."

Sully looked a bit surprised at her comment, but recovered quickly and smiled sweetly at her as he replied. "I guess I do have that effect on people, don't I? I'll have to work on being less of an asshole so people will actually want to stick around."

Veronica let out a frustrated sigh, not really wanting to get into an argument with Sully but feeling bad for Logan as well. "Well you haven't been able to get rid of me, no matter how hard you try," she told him, purposefully softening her features.

"Lucky me," Sully said earnestly, leaning in and placing a quick kiss on her forehead.

"Sterling texted the driver to come and pick us up for the other club now," Sabrina interrupted to let them all know. "Are you driving your own car or did you want to ride with us too?" she asked Logan specifically.

"If I can get dropped near here later, I could ride along, otherwise I don't mind driving."

"I can ride with him," Preston volunteered, much to Veronica's surprise. "The club's pretty close to my place, so he could park in our secure garage and then we'll just walk over and meet you guys at the club."

"Sounds good," Sully responded, wrapping his arm across Veronica's shoulders and pulling her toward the exit.

Veronica looked back over her shoulder at Logan and Preston, feeling a little awkward about them having to drive all by themselves. "You two aren't going to bail on us right?" she asked, feeling a bit of trepidation that they might not actually show up at the other club.

Logan smirked and lifted up his hand holding two fingers up side by side. "Scout's honor."

Veronica chuckled and shook her head at him. "You were  _never_ a Boy Scout, and I'm pretty sure it's three fingers,"

Logan shrugged as his smirk grew even bigger "We'll be there. I promise."

* * *

Veronica was starting to get a little worried that Logan and Preston had changed their minds since they'd been at the nightclub for what seemed like almost an hour with no sign of them yet. The club was fairly crowded though, so there was a chance that they had arrived and she'd just not bumped into them yet. She'd been out dancing with Sully several times and wasn't sure if she should say something to the others or not. On one hand, she didn't want to encourage Sabrina to keep pushing her and Preston together if she was having second thoughts about that, and on the other hand, she didn't want Sully to tease her again about her feelings for Logan like he had in Massachusetts.

She was trying to covertly keep an eye out for them, but Sully must have figured out what she was up to, even if he had been drinking quite a bit.

"You could text them if you're worried," Sully suggested with a teasing grin. They'd taken a break from dancing and found an unoccupied table to use while they had a couple of drinks. They were sitting close enough that it wasn't too hard to hear each other over the music of the club, but it did require them to talk a bit louder than normal.

"What are you talking about?" she tried innocently, glancing up at him from her chocolate martini.

Sully chuckled and shook his head at her. "Either you're obsessing over why your ex ditched us,  _or_ you're worried that Preston isn't as interested in you as you thought. I can tell by the way you keep desperately searching the crowd."

"I am  _not_ desperately searching the crowd," Veronica protested.

Sully laughed at her again. "Well, I'm pretty sure we can confidently rule out the second one because you had to have noticed the way Preston's face lit up every time he talked to you tonight,  _soooo_... that leaves us with the first."

Veronica rolled her eyes in response. "I told you before—Logan and I are just friends now. He's free to do whatever he wants. I'm not  _obsessing_ over anything he does or doesn't do."

"Mmhmm," Sully replied with a disbelieving smirk. "I may have had several drinks at the comedy club, but not enough to  _not_ notice the way you kept watching him instead of the comedians half the time."

"That's ridiculous. He was basically sitting between me and the stage. I wasn't watching him," Veronica lied, hoping Sully might buy it.

"So you can honestly tell me that if he wasn't dating Paisley you wouldn't be interested in dating him again?" Sully asked with a dubious look on his face.

Veronica let out a frustrated sigh, glancing down at her glass before looking back up at him. "That's sort of an irrelevant question given that he  _is_ in a relationship with her. And even if he  _wasn't_ , things never worked out for us in the past, so why would we ever want to go through all that pain again?"

Sully looked incredulously at her. "Come on, Veronica. You were basically just teenagers when you dated before. You're not willing to accept the fact that you both have probably matured alot since then and that things could be a lot different now if you tried?"

Veronica gave him a weak shrug as she stared down at her glass again. "I don't see the point of this conversation, Sully. He's not available, and I'm  _not_ going to just wait around and pine over him, hoping that he might break up with Paisley."

"Well Paisley seems to treat him like shit, and maybe if he knew how you really felt, he'd reconsider his relationship with her and make a different choice."

"No… I don't want to be responsible for them breaking up. I want to be his friend Sully and if I caused that and then things went south with us again," she paused as memories of their past failures caused a terrible sinking feeling to form in her stomach. "I don't think we'd be able to stay friends after that... and I don't want that to happen."

"Don't want what to happen?" Logan asked, suddenly standing right next to the two of them.

"Um," Veronica blinked nervously, wondering just how much of their conversation he'd been able to hear. With the music blasting through the club, she really hoped he'd only caught the part he'd repeated. His expression seemed innocent enough, at least, so hopefully he hadn't heard the rest of it. "Hey you finally made it," she answered instead, hoping he wouldn't pursue his line of questioning, or at least if he did, she could come up with some lie that sounded plausible.

"Yeah, sorry. We've been here a while, but Preston ran into some guys from work and we were talking to them since we hadn't spotted the rest of you," Logan explained, glancing between Sully and Veronica. "Actually, he thought you might want to meet a few of them," he directed at Sully. "I said I'd circle the club and see if I could find you guys and then send you back to where they are. I can keep Veronica company if you wanted to go meet them, or we can all go back over there."

"I'm good here," Veronica quickly replied bluntly, needing a break after Sully's recent comments. She hadn't meant for it to come out as terse as it did, and noticed Logan flinched slightly as if she'd meant to dismiss him as well which hadn't been her intention at all. She noticed Logan was holding a beer in his hand. "You can leave your drink here while you show Sully where the others are. I'll watch it until you get back," she offered, hoping that would reassure him that she hadn't meant that she wanted him to leave too without the awkwardness of having to explicitly explain herself.

"Thanks," Logan said with a hesitant smile as he sat the bottle down on the table next to her glass. "I'll be right back."

As Logan turned to head back in the direction he must have come from, Sully rolled his eyes at Veronica and shook his head. She stuck her tongue out at him, causing him to snicker before he stood up to follow Logan.

Veronica wasn't sure if Logan would circle back to what he'd overheard when he made his way back to her, so she thought maybe she should come up with that plausible story before he reappeared. There were millions of options she could certainly use, but for some reason the thought of intentionally lying to him made her feel terrible. She really didn't want to go back to doing that to him, but she also didn't really want to share the conversation she was having with Sully with him either. Hopefully she'd be able to just wave him off that it was nothing or that she'd already forgotten what they were even talking about—although would lying about that be any better?

"Thanks for guarding my beer," Logan told her as he reappeared.

She hadn't expected him to return quite so soon, but turned and gave him a friendly smile as he sat down in the seat Sully had been using and reached out to take the bottle back.

"Is that a chocolate martini? What, would no one let you order dessert at dinner, so you're drinking it instead?" he asked with a teasing smirk.

Veronica chuckled and nodded in reply. She wasn't going to admit that she'd had a huge piece of chocolate cake at dinner, although he probably already assumed she'd had something there as well.

"Any good?" he asked next, brow cocked questioningly.

A sly smile formed on her face as she scooted her glass toward him. His questioning expression morphed so that he appeared more surprised instead.

"You're  _willingly_ sharing something chocolate with another human being? Either it's really bad, or you've been bodysnatched," Logan commented with a chuckle as he eyed the glass suspiciously.

"I can  _share_ ," Veronica replied, acting as if she were actually offended by the comment.

"Ohh-kay," Logan said dramatically as he slowly reached for the glass and then hesitantly took a drink. His apprehension was replaced by a pleased expression as he swallowed and sat the glass back down. "That was actually pretty delicious. Definitely body snatching."

Veronica laughed and shook her head. "So how was Romania?" she asked, taking her glass back and taking another sip as she waited for his reply.

"It was actually pretty fun. Casey ended up coming along, which he's never done before. He just broke up with his latest girlfriend and decided he needed some R&R. He um… he said to tell you hi the next time I saw you since I mentioned seeing you in Massachusetts." Logan paused for a moment, looking like he was debating whether to continue. "He also said to tell you that if you're in LA and want to catch up some time, to give him a call."

"Oh," Veronica replied, not expecting that at all. "I guess I'll keep that in mind."

A sly grin formed on Logan's face. "He told me all about your time with him on the  _hippie_ farm," he shared, obviously amused by whatever Casey had told him.

Veronica laughed softly and looked down at her drink. "Yeah… his parents hired us to check into things. It was actually sort of cool hanging out there with him." She glanced back up at Logan to see his reaction. She'd never mentioned that to him before. Things were definitely strained between them at that time, so it wasn't like she'd tried to hide it from him or anything. She couldn't help but wonder how much Casey had actually shared with him about their time together though.

Logan smiled and nodded, giving her one of his hard to read looks, so she wasn't really sure how much Casey may have told him.

"Sooo…" he continued a few seconds later. "Speaking of  _guys who have a thing for you_ …"

His comment caught her off guard and her eyes popped open wide in surprise. She definitely hadn't expected that segue from a conversation about Casey, although she probably should have seen it coming.

"Preston seems rather taken with you. I um… I wasn't sure if I should  _encourage_ it or not, though, so tI'm checking with you. Although I suppose if you were trying to discourage him, you wouldn't have worn  _that_." He raised his eyebrow as his lips turned up in a slightly salacious grin.

"Oh… I… um…" she muttered ineloquently, not really expecting him to say any of that either.

"Look… I know dealing with—our  _significant others_? I guess—was not something we were particularly good at in the past… but as friends now, I hope we can do better this time," he offered, looking slightly hesitant as he spoke.

"Yeah, no—of course," she replied, trying to appear cool and collected even if her heart was now racing. This was definitely an area they hadn't been very good at, and her earlier thoughts about him and Paisley only added to her unease. She wasn't really sure she liked how easy it seemed to be for him to ask whether he should encourage Preston to pursue her or not. She knew she'd never be able to act the same way if the tables were reversed.

"We made a plan to meet up on Sunday morning—in Neptune—so I can give him a surfing lesson. Since he's in LA and my gear's all down in San Diego, meeting in between seemed like a good idea. Plus the beaches in San Diego are usually more crowded than Neptune. Anyway, if you wanted to—and are back in town then—you could join us. I know he'd enjoy seeing you again, if you were interested anyway."

"Oh… I.. yeah…" she replied, very aware of just how flustered she'd gotten. She stopped and took a deep breath before she tried again. "I was planning to head home tomorrow, so I'll be in town."

"Great. Do you think you'd want to join us? I can bring a smaller board along if you want to give it a try again too."

Veronica grimaced slightly and shook her head. "I'm not sure I feel up to that challenge. But I could at least stop by and cheer you on from the safety of the shore."

"That works too," Logan commented with a warm smile. "I always did enjoy an audience," he added with a teasing wink.

Veronica laughed as she nodded in agreement.

"Hey, sorry it took so long to catch up with you again," Preston shared as he came up from behind to join them at the table.

Veronica glanced around, looking to see if Sully was with him as well.

"Sully's still talking with a couple of the guys that I know from work. He seemed to hit it off with them pretty quickly," Preston explained obviously able to guess what Veronica was wondering.

"Hey, I think I might track down Sterling and then head out," Logan announced suddenly, catching Veronica by surprise.

"But you just got here," she countered, unable to keep from frowning a bit.

"Well,  _technically_ we've been here a while," Logan reminded her. "And I'd expected to have a date when I'd initially agreed to come, so I'm not really feeling the whole club scene now."

"You're not driving all the way back to San Diego tonight, are you?" Veronica asked, glancing reflexively at his beer bottle.

"No… Paisley's apartment is just a few blocks from here, so I'm just crashing there tonight," Logan answered, narrowing his eyes slightly, perhaps a little peeved she seemed to be silently questioning whether he should be driving. "I'll head over to the hotel in the morning to have breakfast though. Sterling asked if I could come look at the plane with him after we eat, so I'll probably see you then—unless you're not around to join us." Logan's eyebrows raised a bit suggestively along with his last comment.

It took Veronica a moment to figure out what Logan meant. " _No_ , I'm sure I'll be there," she replied firmly, not sure if she felt more bothered by the mention of Paisley or the insinuation that she might not be staying the night at the hotel.

"Well, I guess I"ll see you Sunday if not sooner," Logan directed at Preston as he stood up and extended his hand to him.

Preston nodded as he reached out to shake Logan's hand. "Thanks, man. I'm really looking forward to it."

"Yeah, it should be fun," Logan replied, giving Veronica one last smile before he picked up his beer bottle and headed off into the crowd.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has been reading and sharing their thoughts with me. I really do appreciate all the support from everyone. I hope you enjoy this new chapter. Looking forward to your comments!
> 
> And a super special thanks to Bondopoulos for finding time in her extremely chaotic life to edit this for me!
> 
> Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.

Veronica sat in her Saturn, nervously drumming the steering wheel. She hadn't considered the possibility that Paisley would be with Logan when she'd agreed to meet them for surfing, but as she sat waiting for him in the parking lot at Dog Beach, that unsettling thought occurred to her. Although, she knew that if they were going to truly be friends, it meant accepting whomever he was dating, but she couldn't shake those old jealous feelings that had always lurked under the surface ever since he'd first been hers. It probably didn't help that from the few pictures she'd seen of Paisley, she appeared to be a younger, more sophisticated and professional version of Kendall Casablancas. Statuesque, curvy, long dark wavy hair—all things Veronica was not.

Even if she had been able to talk with Logan at breakfast the previous morning in LA, she probably wouldn't have asked him whether Paisley was coming. Veronica couldn't deny her propensity to keep avoiding discussing his love interests. But as it had been, they'd only exchanged a couple of comments at all. He'd spent most of the time discussing planes with Sterling while Sully had bounced pros and cons of moving to LA off Veronica and Sabrina.

Veronica had spent the rest of Saturday morning touring around LA with Sully while Logan, Sterling and Sabrina all went to look at the plane. By the time Sully and Veronica had caught back up to the others, Logan had already left to drive back to San Diego. Since Veronica had promised her dad she'd be back in town Saturday evening to trail a cheating husband for him, she'd also left LA fairly early in the afternoon to try to avoid some of the usual traffic.

Now she anxiously sat in her car questioning whether she should have ever agreed to come. With her dad out of town, she'd decided to bring Backup with her to the beach. He must have been able to sense her nervousness, though, because instead of getting excited that they were parked by the beach, he patiently sat on the seat next to her waiting for her to get out of the car. Either that or he was starting to get so used to going on stakeouts with her again that he'd resigned himself to another long wait in the passenger seat.

Given she wasn't sure exactly what Logan was driving these days, Veronica started scanning the surfers that were already out on the beach to be sure he wasn't there already. Even in wetsuits and from far away, she could tell none of them moved quite as gracefully as he normally did on the water, nor had quite the right physique. A physique that seemed even more in shape than he had over four years before when she'd last seen him at Hearst. She was so focused on scanning the shoreline—and wondering how much work he was putting into that new physique—that she was a little startled when Backup started wagging his tail, causing it to thump loudly against the seat. She followed Backup's gaze, which was aimed out her side window, and realized immediately that it was Logan he'd spotted next to the car.

"Wow, I didn't expect you to beat me here," Logan teased as she opened her door.

Before she could even respond, Backup lunged out the door. She hadn't expected him to bolt over the top of her to get to Logan, so she wasn't able to grab his collar before he completely escaped.

"Hey, Buddy!" Logan said happily as he leaned down to scratch Backup behind the ears and gently bump his head against the dog's. "I haven't seen you in years."

Backup was excitedly bouncing around by Logan's feet, making the happy whining noise he would make when Veronica returned home from a long day away.

"Apparently you made quite an impression on him," Veronica commented with a soft chuckle as she climbed out of the car with Backup's leash in her hand.

"At least one of the Mars clan seems to still think fondly of me," Logan replied as Backup licked his face a few times.

"Hey, I haven't tazed you  _or_ accused you of a crime; don't I get any credit for  _that_?" she teased with a coy grin. She hoped he was just joking at least and didn't really think she still harbored any of the hostility that she'd expressed back at Hearst. Of course tackling that head on was incredibly intimidating for her to even consider bringing it all up.

"Good point. I'd forgotten the proper way to gauge whether or not you're a true friend of Veronica Mars," he countered with a smirk as he stood up again, switching to just lightly scratching Backup on the head.

Veronica gave him a quick affirmative head nod in response. She really did hope he believed they were friends again. She thought their recent interactions should at least prove that to him.

"So, Preston texted and said they're running late due to a traffic accident on the 5," Logan shared, glancing out toward the beach before looking back at her. "We could walk up to the Shack and grab some breakfast burritos if you haven't eaten already."

" _They_?" Veronica asked, wondering who might be with Preston. She'd been relieved that Paisley hadn't been with Logan, but now she wondered if Paisley was just riding down from LA with Preston instead.

"Yeah… Preston and  _Sully_ … didn't he tell you he was coming too?"

Veronica shook her head. "No… I thought he was flying back this morning with Sterling and Sabrina."

Logan shrugged and let out a small sigh. "Guess not." He paused a moment and looked in the direction of the small cafe that sat within walking distance of Dog Beach. "So burritos or no?"

"When do I ever turn down food?" Veronica replied, leaning toward Backup to clip his leash on.

"I'm pretty sure I saw you turn down a Kale shake once," Logan countered with a smug grin.

" _Real_  food!" she rebutted, shaking her head at him.

Logan chuckled and nodded as he clicked the FOB for his car to lock it. She did the same before they started walking in the direction of the cafe. She certainly wasn't going to divulge that she'd already downed a large bowl of cereal at home. That would definitely lead to some teasing and her taste buds were already anticipating one of the delicious breakfast burritos that the Shack was well known for.

* * *

Since dogs weren't allowed inside the cafe, Logan and Veronica sat at one of the outdoor tables while they ate their breakfast burritos. The conversation alternated between Logan describing his recent trip to Romania in more detail than he had at the club and him critiquing the surfers out on the water. She couldn't help but chuckle when he'd grimace in the middle of a sentence and then comment about what the latest surf crash victim had done wrong. Even though she'd never been very eager to master surfing, she knew Logan would be an amazing teacher based on his own experience and his ability to explain the proper technique.

She couldn't help but be a little jealous listening to him talk about his trip to Romania. The fact that he got paid to go on interesting adventures abroad while she basically got paid to hang outside the Camelot was a bit dispiriting. She'd actually never been all that interested in traveling the world before, but listening to Logan talk about Romania, she was starting to have second thoughts about that. Of course in her current financial situation, leisurely travel was certainly not in the cards for her.

"Sounds like they are just pulling into the lot," Logan shared after reading a message on his phone. He'd already finished his burrito and rolled the foil into a ball that he'd been slowly tossing back and forth between his hands as they'd talked. There was a garbage can near the table at which he aimed and successfully sunk the silver ball. He picked up the fruit smoothy he'd been drinking and took another long drag from the straw, swishing the cup around after he was done. "There's still about a quarter left if you want it."

"You ruined it with  _kale_ ," she protested as she scrunched up her nose. "Which I'm sure you did on  _purpose_ just to keep me from stealing any of it."

Logan chuckled and shook his head. "You can't even taste it, Veronica. Give it a try. Eating healthy food isn't going to  _kill_ you," he cajoled as he held the cup out toward her.

"Nope," she replied, pursing her lips together tightly. She tore a bit of her remaining tortilla off for Backup before wrapping the foil back around the third of her burrito that she hadn't finished yet.

Logan took another long drag from the straw before standing. He tipped the cup slightly in her direction, raising his eyebrows questioningly. When she firmly shook her head, he laughed and then tossed the cup into the trash can.

"Are you sure you don't want to give it another try today? I brought along my shortest board just in case you changed your mind," Logan asked as Veronica stood up from the table.

Veronica tugged on Backup's leash to get him to stand up as well. "Ah, shucks, I would, but I can't leave Backup all alone," she responded, feigning regret.

Logan quirked his eyebrow suspiciously. "And I'm sure you did  _that_  on purpose."

Veronica gave him an innocent look. "I have  _no_ idea what you're talking about," she lied as they walked back toward the parking lot.

Logan must have told Preston what he was driving because she spotted Preston and Sully parking next to the Escalade that Logan had arrived in. The two men were just climbing out of the car as Logan and Veronica reached them.

"Didn't expect to see  _you_ this morning," Veronica directed at Sully with a quirked brow.

"Well please try to contain your excitement," Sully replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Hey, this must be Backup," he continued as he walked toward Veronica and the dog. "I recognize him from those picture you used to mope over whenever you were homesick in Boston."

Veronica rolled her eyes but nodded in confirmation. Backup let out a low growl as Sully moved closer.

Logan quirked his brow and smirked a bit. "Guess he's not a fan," Logan muttered quietly as Veronica told Backup to chill. She thought Logan had added an 'either' at the end, but she couldn't quite hear over Backup's growling if that was exactly what he'd said. Logan gave Backup an affectionate scratch on the head, earning an enthusiastic tail wag as Logan walked past them and started unfastening the surfboards from the SUV.

Veronica could tell that Sully wasn't thrilled with Backup's rapport with Logan. Sully immediately started talking softly to the dog, trying to coax him into warming up to him. After a few friendly words, Sully extended his hand for Backup to sniff, which only drew another low growl. Veronica gave Backup the command for him to behave again and then gave Sully permission to pet him. This time at least, Backup didn't growl and seemed to be at least moving toward being indifferent to Sully.

Preston had been slow to move around from the driver's side of the car and kept a noticeable distance from her, Sully and Backup—practically pressing his body up against the passenger side of the car.

"You have a dog?" Preston asked, glancing nervously at the intimidating looking pitbull.

"Yeah—well, he's my dad's dog too. He's well behaved, though," she assured him, realizing that Sully had heard enough about Backup not to be too worried about him, but could understand Preston's reaction—especially after Backup had growled at Sully.

"Oh… it's not..." Preston quickly replied, shaking his head. "I'm just  _really_ allergic to dogs."

Logan was still working on getting the surfboards down, but Veronica caught a noticeable grimace cross his face. As she locked eyes with him, he may have realized what he had done and replaced the look with a more neutral expression.

"Sorry, I didn't know," Veronica apologized, shaking her head slightly. "I thought he'd enjoy some time at the beach while I watched you guys surf."

"No need to apologize," Preston quickly blurted out. "I'll just… I'll just stay far enough away that it shouldn't be an issue."

"Oh, yeah," Sully interjected more confidently scratching Backup's head. "I remember that time you went over to pick Rachel up for homecoming, not knowing they had a dog, and her parents ended up rushing you to the emergency room because your eyes were practically swollen shut."

It was easy to tell from Preston's expression and deep sigh that it wasn't a fond memory.

Sully started to chuckle and a devilish grin crossed his face. "And then she  _still_ went to the dance without you, hooked up with Tommy Melton and ended up dumping you the next day."

"Yeah," Preston groaned, clearly not thrilled with either the reminder or the fact that Sully had shared it. "Best sophomore homecoming  _ever_ ," he added sarcastically.

Veronica felt a little flutter in her stomach as she glanced over at Logan. His eyes met hers for a second before he turned away to focus on the surfboards again.  _Sophomore homecoming— probably the last good memory we both have of the four of us being happy together before Lily was murdered._

Veronica's moment of reminiscing about that night so many years ago was quickly interrupted by Logan swearing loudly as he jumped down from the SUV's running board, grabbing his left hand with his right.

"I really hope you didn't cut yourself. I'd hate for you to attract any sharks while we're trying to surf," Sully commented bluntly. "Preston seemed pretty convinced that you'd be a good teacher, and I really don't think that would make for a very good first lesson if someone gets eaten by a shark."

"Lucky for you it didn't break the skin," Logan replied, sounding brusque as he inspected his hand.

"Let me give you some help with those," Preston quickly offered, moving back around to where Logan had been pulling off the boards.

"Maybe Backup and I will head down to the beach. Sully could grab the board you already got down," Veronica suggested, deciding it might be better to put some distance between Logan and Sully as well as Preston and Backup.

"Yeah, that works," Logan replied with his mouth pulled into a tight line. She wasn't sure if his reaction was due to whatever had just happened to his hand, or his continued animosity with Sully. Either way, she decided putting some space between them all sounded like a good idea.

Sully stood there looking a bit put out by her suggestion of him carrying the board, so she narrowed her eyes and gestured her head toward where the board was resting against the SUV. After a second Sully let out a defeated sigh and walked over to grab the board, then followed her as she headed to the steps that led down to the beach.

"I thought you were flying back this morning with Sabrina and Sterling. Why the change in plans?" Veronica asked curiously when they reached the sand.

"Maybe the chance to see your ex peel himself out of a wetsuit was just more than I could resist," Sully countered with a smart-assed smirk.

Veronica couldn't help the chortle that bubbled out at his unexpected reply.

"Oh wait… that's why  _you_ came, not me…" Sully continued with a devilish grin.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes, at least trying to pretend that she hadn't thought about that very likely scenario herself.

Sully nodded as if he knew she'd considered it as well and wasn't buying her innocent routine. "Besides the chance to see your ex wet and shirtless, I might also get to score an interview at Preston's firm tomorrow or Tuesday. We ran into one of the managers in the graphic design department last night at dinner and she was going to see if she could work something out for me while I'm in town."

Veronica couldn't help but grin smugly at him. "Oh,  _she_ did, did  _she_? I'm guessing you turned on that irresistible charm and worked a little of your magic on her, didn't you?"

"I can't help it if some women—and men—find me irresistible," Sully countered defensively. "I didn't go overboard though because if I did get a job there, she might actually be my boss… and well... I do have some ethical standards."

"Oh right… not like you would have slept with one of your college professors or anything," she blurted out with a laugh.

" _And_  I still got a freakin' C in that class… you'd think all my  _extra-credit activities_ could have at least earned me a B-minus."

Veronica couldn't help but laugh even harder at him. "It was an  _ethics_ class, Sully!"

Sully shrugged, clearly thinking that didn't really matter at all.

Veronica shook her head, getting her laughter under control so she could talk again. "So you're pretty serious about moving out here then?"

"Sabrina and Sterling are planning to move to London after the wedding," he told her, sounding a bit more somber than a moment before. "Maybe just for a year or two, but she decided she wants to do a graduate program over there."

"Yeah… she mentioned that when we were shopping on Friday," Veronica shared, wondering what Sully had thought about it. After learning about his run in with Quincy, she hadn't wanted to stress him out even more by bringing that up with him while they were in LA.

"I thought about following them over there… but I don't know… three's a crowd, right? I just need a change of scenery for a while too. And  _you're_ here," he added with a fond smile.

"Yeah, I am," she replied, smiling tenderly in return.

"And my good buddy, Logan," Sully continued sarcastically.

Veronica sighed heavily and shook her head at him. "Maybe you  _could_ become friends if you'd stop being such an  _ass_ to him all the time."

"What?" Sully quickly objected. "I've been much better this time than when you two were in Concord."

"That's not saying much, Sully," she chastised.

Sully shrugged and turned to watch a handsome, blonde jogger, who obviously took fitness quite seriously, run by them on the beach. "And I must say in regards to a change in scenery—the  _scenery_ has been quite enjoyable out here."

* * *

Veronica had brought a tennis ball along to throw for Backup while she watched the guys surf. She'd kept him pretty occupied with that while Logan spent some time with the guys on the beach describing the proper moves and techniques that they'd need to employ once they had the boards out in the water. Throwing the ball for Backup had been a good strategy to keep the dog away from them during that time so Preston wouldn't have a bad allergic reaction to him. She certainly didn't want his eyes to swell shut if he was out in the ocean trying to surf.

Veronica found it extremely amusing that while Preston seemed to quickly get the hang of it, Sully was having a dreadful time staying on his board. She was pretty sure she heard Logan tell Sully to ' _try not to suck so badly this time_ ' when they headed back out after one of his many failed attempts. Veronica had laughed to herself thinking how the tables were turned compared to their archery outing in Concord.

After what seemed to be about an hour, Sully must have finally decided he'd had enough and carried his board up to where Veronica was sitting on the beach watching them. As he attempted to take his wetsuit off, she could easily see the frustration and annoyance on his face.

"Now I know why you refused to partake in this ridiculous sport," he grumbled as he finally got the zipper to slide down enough so he could peel off the top half of the wetsuit.

She couldn't help but laugh at him. " _Partake_? I see being dunked repeatedly in the ocean makes you sound like your grandfather."

Sully flipped her off as he struggled to get the wetsuit farther down his body.

"Towel!" she chastised, grabbing a towel that was sitting next to her and throwing it at him. "Not everyone on the beach wants to see  _that_ much of you!"

"I'm not  _completely_ naked," he protested as he continued tugging at the wetsuit. She'd watched Logan try to slip his off enough times to know that even with briefs underneath, those rarely stayed in place with the snugness of the neoprene pulling them down as well.

"Sully!" she groaned in a loud protest as the inevitable exposure started to occur.

He at least stopped and grabbed the towel where it had landed at his feet and wrapped it around his waist, giving her a put out look as he held it with one hand and reached under it to wrestle the wetsuit the rest of the way off. "Thank god," he proclaimed when he'd finally kicked it off his feet, falling on the blanket next to her.

"I take it there's no chance you're going to become an avid surfer after this?" Veronica asked with a chuckle.

"No chance in hell," he grumbled as he quickly ran his hand back and forth through his golden blonde curls, obviously trying to get his hair to dry. "I'll stick to lazily lounging on the beach watching hot bodies run by—like you."

"I haven't been sitting here ogling joggers," Veronica protested indignantly.

"Ah… right, cuz you've been too busy  _ogling_ surfers instead. And don't try to deny that you weren't enjoying watching Logan giving us instructions on the beach… all that hop up on the board stuff."

Veronica laughed and shook her head at him. "No wonder you sucked… you were probably too distracted watching his flexing muscles to even pay attention to what he was saying."

Sully scrunched up his face in defiance and shook his head. " _No_!"

She could easily see he was lying though and continued to chuckle to herself. Backup had gotten worn out from chasing the ball and was stretched out on the other side of Veronica. He'd raised his head slightly when Sully had walked up and then crashed next to her again, so when he suddenly jumped up, grabbed his ball and bolted toward the shoreline, Veronica was caught completely off guard. "Backup!" she yelled, ineffectively. She quickly realized though that Logan was out of the water and walking up toward them.

Logan stopped long enough to ruffle the fur on the dog's head before he grabbed the ball and chucked it far down the beach.

"I didn't get a greeting like  _that_ ," Sully grumbled next to Veronica.

"Ah, maybe Logan will ruffle your hair and throw the ball for you next," she teased as she bumped her shoulder into his.

"Hey, I was going to have Preston try that board," Logan announced as he approached them, gesturing to the one next to Sully. "We're going to try a few more runs before we call it a day."

"Knock yourself out," Sully answered with a bit of a huff as he fell on his back and stared up at the sky.

A puzzled look formed on Logan's face as he glanced at Veronica. She shrugged, not quite sure what to make of Sully's reaction.

"That sounds fine. Looks like Preston's enjoying himself."

"Yeah. Some people just pick it up better than others," Logan commented as he swapped the board he'd carried over with the one Sully had brought up.

She could see Sully roll his eyes in her peripheral vision as Backup returned with the ball and dropped it eagerly at Logan's feet.

"One more time, buddy," Logan told the dog as he reached down and picked the ball up to throw for him again. "Be back soon," he yelled over his shoulder to Sully and Veronica after he threw the ball down the beach and turned to head back out to the water.

Backup slumped down on the blanket next to Veronica when he returned again with the ball. It almost seemed as though he was looking balefully out at where Logan was floating next to Preston. She hadn't expected Backup to even remember Logan after all of these years, let alone be so excited to see him. She could certainly relate to the feeling though.

"I think your dog has a bigger crush on Logan than you do," Sully commented with a smirk as he looked at Backup and then up at Veronica. She decided to not even dignify his remark with a comment and instead turned back to the ocean to watch Logan and Preston out on the waves.

It wasn't too much longer after Logan had run up for the other board that he and Preston decided to call it quits as well. Veronica wasn't sure if Logan had intentionally directed Preston down the beach from him aways, or if it had been accidental, but given their distance, she let Backup take off with his ball to greet Logan again. Logan of course could throw it much farther than she ever could, so it gave him some time to make his way back up to them before Backup returned and he threw it down the beach again.

"Hey, I was thinking you should take Preston and Sully to Cho's for pizza," Logan shared when he reached them all. "I could take Backup and drop him off at your place since I need to head back to San Diego soon."

Veronica hadn't expected his offer and wasn't sure how to respond to it at all. "Oh… well I could just take him home and then meet them there. You really don't need to do that, Logan."

"It's no trouble at all. You mentioned your dad bought a small place with a yard right? I could just slip him in the yard if your dad's not home. Just text me the address and I'll swing by there and drop him off. Then you can ride over with Preston and Sully to Cho's and they can swing back here later for your car."

"Sounds like a great idea to me," Sully interjected, sounding more enthusiastic than he'd been all day. "You always went  _on and on_  about how great the pizza was at Cho's, Vee."

"I'm sure you've got to be starving by now, Veronica," Logan continued, obviously trying to coax her into agreeing. Backup ran up with his tail wagging happily as he dropped the ball at Logan's feet. Logan picked it up and threw it up the beach again. "I really don't mind, Veronica. And I'm sure Sully and Preston worked up quite an appetite out there surfing too."

Veronica glanced over at Preston, who had what was obviously a hopeful expression on his face. She did feel bad that she really hadn't gotten much time to talk to him since she spent most of the time he'd been on the beach trying to keep Backup away from him.

"Okay," she relented with a slight sigh. "If you're really sure, I'll text you the address and you can put him in the backyard if my dad's not home."

"I'm positive. You three all go and enjoy a delicious pizza and I'll make sure Backup gets home safely."

* * *

Veronica was a little worried when she saw Logan's SUV still parked in front of their house when she returned from having pizza with Sully and Preston. Her mild worry changed to full-fledged concern when she was close enough to be able to spot her dad's car parked in the driveway too. It had been well over an hour since they'd parted ways at Dog Beach, and the thought of Logan there that long alone with her dad couldn't bode well. At least there weren't any emergency vehicles around, so that put the worry of her dad shooting him because he thought he was an intruder out of her mind.

She heard the two laughing before she even reached the front door, which for some reason made her feel even more uneasy. Since it was a warm afternoon, only the front door was open, and she could make out the sounds of the TV in addition to their voices through the screen door. She was fairly certain there was some sports event playing on TV because it sounded like sports announcers talking, but she wasn't able to make out what exactly they were talking about. As she pulled the screen door open, she was even more shocked to find a Cho's pizza box open on the coffee table with only a couple of slices remaining.

"Hey, honey," her dad greeted first when he spotted her walking into the house.

"Hey,  _Dad_ ," she replied with an overly exaggerated tone. "And  _Logan_ … what a  _surprise_."

Logan gave her a little wave with his left hand that was resting on the back of the couch, a slightly guilty look crossed his face. Of course Backup would be stretched out next to him on the couch, his head happily resting on Logan's right thigh. Backup didn't even budge when he spotted her, clearly enjoying having his head scratched by Logan's other hand.

"Did you enjoy your  _lunch_?" Keith asked, an amused smirk playing on his lips.

"Yes, I did," she answered, as bluntly as her previous comments. "And  _you_?" she asked, staring incredulously back and forth between the two of them.

Keith chuckled and nodded. "I luckily arrived right after Logan had put Backup in the backyard, and when he told me where you were off having lunch, I guess I wasn't very good at hiding my own love of Cho's and he offered to have one delivered."

"I didn't expect you to be back so soon," Logan piped in, looking a bit chagrined by his current situation.

Veronica narrowed her eyes at him, which seemed to make him at least squirm slightly. "I'm sure you  _didn't_. And I thought  _you_ had to get back to San Diego."

"Oh… well I do… Paisley's flying in later this evening and I need to pick her up at the airport."

Of course the mention of Paisley threw her off slightly, and she wasn't sure what to say next. She sighed softly before heading over to sit in the empty spot next to Logan. Obviously aware of where she was going, he pulled his arm that had been stretched out across the back of the couch down to his side and sat up a bit straighter. The moment her body hit the cushion, her dad's cell phone went off.

"Sorry, duty calls," her dad announced as he stood up from his seat after looking at the message on the screen.

Veronica frowned slightly, not expecting her dad to have to take off again so soon since he'd just returned from being gone the night before.

"I just have to hand off some papers to a client at the office. It shouldn't take too long. I'll be home before dinner," he explained, likely sensing her annoyance.

"It was nice to see you again, Mr. Mars," Logan shared as he stood up and extended his hand to Keith.

"You too, Logan. And, thanks for the pizza," Keith replied as he reached out to shake Logan's hand. "And I may just take you up on that offer to fly up and watch a Giant's game."

"You should. Veronica has my number," Logan continued, taking his spot on the couch once again.

Veronica watched them with a bit of disbelief. Her dad leaned in to place a quick kiss on the top of her head. "See you later, sweetheart," he added before he headed out the front door.

Veronica raised her eyebrow questioningly at Logan as soon as the screen door had slammed shut.

"What?" he asked, giving her an overly innocent look.

"I guess I didn't expect you and my dad to be  _buddies_  now," she answered honestly.

Logan shrugged. "Maybe since I told him you were out on a date with another guy, he decided he didn't need to play the over-protective dad role with me anymore."

"That wasn't a  _date_ ," she countered with a bit of indignation.

"Well, you were having lunch with a guy who would really like to date you… so it sort of counts as one, right?"

"No," she answered quickly, shaking her head. "Plus... Sully was there."

"Oh right…  _Sully_ ," Logan replied, a slightly disgusted look appearing briefly on his face.

Veronica growled slightly, wishing the two of them would just move past their dislike of each other. She was about to say something to that effect, when she noticed that the knuckles above his pinky and ring finger on his left hand were extremely swollen and starting to bruise.

"Oh my goodness, did you do that this morning," she asked, reaching out to gingerly touch just outside the bruised area. "Did you break your hand?"

"No," Logan replied, moving his hand away from her and flexing it slowly. "I've had enough broken bones over the years to know. It's not that bad."

"I can't believe you surfed with it like that. You should at least put some ice on it," Veronica scolded as she jumped up from the couch, intent on getting him some ice from the kitchen.

" _Veronica_ ," Logan sighed as she started walking out of the room. "It's fine, really."

She didn't believe him at all and continued on her quest to make him at least put ice on it for a while. She'd rather have convinced him to go have it x-rayed, but she knew how stubborn he could be about things like that. She'd almost finished filling a small plastic bag with ice, when Logan walked into the kitchen carrying the Cho's pizza box, the plates he and Keith had been using stacked on top of it.

"You didn't have to carry that in here," she commented with a slight sigh as she grabbed a towel to wrap around the bag.

"Well I didn't expect you to clean up our mess, and I didn't want Backup getting into it. Since I didn't see you carrying in any leftovers from lunch, I figured you might want a few pieces of this later too."

He sat the box down on the small kitchen island and then took a seat at the stool that was by him. "I really don't need the ice, but if it will make you happy…"

"It will," she answered as she held it out to him.

"Well, we wouldn't want you  _unhappy_ , now would we, Mars?" he teased with a soft smirk as he took the ice from her and rested it on his hand.

"Are you sure you shouldn't go have it x-rayed?" she couldn't help but ask. He gave her a look that could only be interpreted as strong disagreement. "Fine," she relented and leaned on the counter across from him. "What did you get?" she asked, drawing a confused look from him, so she gestured toward the pizza box.

He snickered and nodded in understanding. "The Spicy Italian Special of course. Like father, like daughter," he replied with a hint of amusement to his tone.

"They ordered artichoke and chicken," she mumbled staring at the box.

Logan laughed a bit louder and then scooted the box closer to her. "Still have room for more then I guess?"

"Maybe one piece," she responded a bit sheepishly before opening the box and grabbing a slice. She couldn't help but let out a soft moan as she bit into her favorite Cho's pizza.

"Sorry your  _not-a-date_  lunch didn't go better," Logan commented as he watched her with an amused look on his face. "Hey, I was thinking, since I'll be driving Paisley back up to LA tomorrow or Tuesday, maybe I could talk with Preston and we could go on a double date—a real date."

The grimace on her face was completely involuntary, but very noticeable, obviously.

"Or  _not_ …" Logan continued with a furrowed brow.

Based on his reaction, she was suddenly worried that he might think her grimace had to do with him, which—of the three parties involved—he was the only one she actually wouldn't have minded spending time with. She felt compelled to explain.

"It's just… I don't want to send Preston any mixed messages and I'm not sure the two of us dating—if Sully is moving out here—is a very good idea. Dating a friend of a close friend hasn't always turned out well for me in the past."

"Oh.. okay," Logan replied, nodding slightly, but still looking a bit uneasy.

"Otherwise," Veronica nonchalantly added, waving her hand in the air as if going on a double date with him and Paisley wouldn't be the most painful thing in the world for her to have to suffer through.

"Yeah. Well, I was also wondering if the dog allergy was going to be an issue or not," Logan added with a thoughtful expression.

Veronica let out a soft huff and nodded.

"Honestly, I've always pictured you owning a dog, and it would be really disheartening to image a future where you couldn't have one if you wanted to," he continued, surprising her that he'd actually thought that much about what her future might look like. Unfortunately, her revery over what he'd just said—as well as her own curiosity about if he'd ever considered whether he might also be in that future—was quickly erased by his next comment. "Hey—you know Casey would still like to hang out with you too—maybe the four of us could do something sometime."

This time at least she was more prepared and didn't let a grimace form on her face. She tried to smile calmly as she shrugged. "Maybe. Let me think about it and I'll let you know."

"Great," he answered with a more relaxed smile. "And a bit of advice?" She nodded when a questioning look formed on his face, clearly waiting for her agreement to continue. "I'd suggest  _not_ wearing the red dress when you go out in a group with him again if you don't want to send the wrong message."

Veronica bit on her lip to fight back smiling too broadly at his comment, but she was secretly thrilled that the dress she'd worn that night had made that much of an impression on him.

"Thanks for the ice. I really should get on the road though so I can get all the boards and gear unloaded. Paisley would likely throw a fit if I showed up at the airport with all my surf gear stinking up the car."

And like that, her warm and fuzzy feelings were gone once again by the mention of Paisley. "Yeah, you wouldn't want to upset your girlfriend," Veronica answered, trying to keep her tone measured and not sound jealous at all.

"Thanks for coming and hanging out with us today. It was a lot of fun playing with Backup again too. Maybe you can bring him along the next time I'm up here surfing."

"Sure, just let me know," Veronica replied, forcing a smile on her lips. She was almost starting to wonder if Backup might also be the only member of the Mars clan that Logan was still truly fond of as well.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving comments. I really do appreciate all the support from everyone and your interest helps motivate me to write more. I hope you enjoy this new chapter. Looking forward to your comments!
> 
> And also thanks to my wonderful beta Bondopoulos!
> 
> Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.

Veronica had just returned from a run with Backup when her cell phone rang. Before seeing the caller's name, she'd suspected it might be her dad calling to apologize for running late since he was supposed to be bringing something home for their dinner. She certainly hadn't expected it to be Logan, and she was a little hesitant to answer. He'd texted her the day after surfing to see if she wanted to go to LA with him and Paisley the following night for the double date with Casey that he'd mentioned. She'd lied and said she had something she really needed to do for a case, so she'd have to pass—she did at least end up working on a case that night, so it wasn't entirely a lie. She'd been a little reluctant to contact him again right after that, though, worried that he'd try to schedule another double date for them all. She took a deep breath and answered the call with a quick hello.

"Hey, um… it's Logan."

She was about to quip that she was glad her caller ID wasn't broken, but there was something about his tone that gave her pause. As he continued, her pixie spy senses started to tingle.

"I could really use your help."

"Have you been arrested,  _again_?" she blurted out reflexively, right at the same moment that her dad walked into the kitchen. He raised his eyebrow questioningly as he sat the bag of takeout on the counter. She gave him an innocent smile and turned her focus back to Logan.

Logan at least let out a nervous chuckle before he continued. "No, but thanks for jumping to  _that_ conclusion so quickly. I suppose I should have said I could use a  _favor_ , but that probably would have lead you to the same assumption anyway."

"I'm sorry," she replied, feeling terrible that she'd even thought that for a second. "Old habits."

"Hmm… Well I suppose you  _could_ make it up to me by agreeing to help me out," he suggested almost teasingly, sounding more confident than when she'd first answered the call.

"Even if I  _do_ feel bad, I still think I'd like to know what this  _favor_  is before agreeing," she countered as she watched her dad start to pull boxes of Chinese food out of the bag. Veronica could tell he was still curious about her call even if he was trying to act as if he wasn't.

"Fair enough. So I'm on an assignment and the photographer the magazine sent along just bailed on me. His wife went into labor a week and a half early, so he jumped on a commercial flight back right after we landed and flew home. I was  _hoping_ that if you're not too busy with cases for your dad—and aren't working on something else—that you could join me. The magazine will cover your airfare, meals and hotel in addition to paying you for the pictures."

"Oh… wow.. um," Veronica stuttered out, not expecting him to call her about something like that. "Wait…  _where_  even are you?" she asked, suddenly realizing she had no idea where she'd even be going.

"Right, that would be good to know wouldn't it," Logan replied with a small laugh. "PEI… Prince Edward Island in Canada."

"Wow, Canada. When would I need to decide… I probably should talk to my dad first," she asked, glancing over at Keith, who now looked even more intrigued by her phone call. He quirked an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly as he pulled two plates out of the cupboard for their meal.

"Well if you could decide tonight, the guy at the magazine who books travel could get you on a flight in the morning."

"That's um…  _soon_ … but I guess if you're already there… that makes sense. How long would I need to stay?"

"Well it would be great if you could stay four or five days, but even if you could just come for two or three, I'm sure you'd get much better pictures than I could. My backup plan would be to just take some myself. I've actually had to do that before."

" _Antigua_?" she couldn't help but ask, cringing slightly.

"Crap… I didn't think they were that bad," he mumbled through the phone.

"No, no… they were fine. I just noticed when I read that article that the photos weren't quite the same as the other articles that Sabrina had sent me. But hey, that's why you're the  _writer_. It was definitely a great read."

"Please come help me, Mars-wan Kenobi; you're my only hope," he teased. She could practically hear his smirk through the line.

She laughed and shook her head even though he couldn't see her. "Let me talk to my dad, and I'll call you back soon."

" _I'll be waiting_ ," he practically sing-songed in reply before she said goodbye and ended the call.

"So Logan  _hasn't_  been detained by the RCMP?" Keith quickly clarified. Obviously he was able to figure out quite a bit from the half of the conversation he could hear.

Veronica let out a nervous chuckle and shook her head. "Nope, the Mounties haven't apprehended him yet."

"Well, give them time," he teased as he started dishing food out of the take-out cartons onto his plate. "Those Canadians are persistent."

Veronica scoffed a bit as she picked up one of the carton's he hadn't opened yet to see what was inside.  _Eggrolls_. She immediately plucked one out and stuffed it into her mouth.

"Seriously though, sounds like you're jetting off again?" Keith asked as he snagged the carton away from her and pulled one out for himself before she ate them all.

She shrugged and then nodded as she swallowed down the eggroll. "The photographer who was supposed to be there with him had a family emergency and Logan asked if I would come up and fill in. But I'll only go if you're sure you'll be okay without me."

"And you two aren't… you know… dating again?"

"No," she answered quickly, shaking her head vehemently. "He has a girlfriend."

Keith narrowed his eyes slightly at her and she couldn't help but wonder if she'd sounded a bit annoyed by the fact Logan was seeing someone with the way she'd answered. She decided to proceed with details of the trip to try to take the focus off of that.

"He said the magazine would pay all my travel costs as well as pay me for the photos they use. It really would be an exciting opportunity to do something different."

A proud smile replaced the suspicious one that had been on his face. "I know you were really hoping to do something besides PI work, honey. Maybe this would open you up for some other opportunities with the magazine he works for."

"Yeah," she answered, suddenly feeling a bit excited about that prospect. When Logan had mentioned photography jobs to her in Massachusetts, she'd been a bit hesitant, but now the chance to fly to Canada and work with him sounded amazing. She didn't want to get her hopes up that it would mean future work—because she'd definitely been disappointed by past failures—but a small part of her couldn't help but imagine it.

"I'm sure I'll be fine without you for a few days. I was fine without you for almost four years, you know?"

"You say  _'fine'_ , but all I hear is  _'miserable'_ ," she teased with an impish grin.

Keith chuckled and nodded. "Tell Logan he owes me another Cho's pizza for agreeing to let you go," he added smugly with a small wink before turning to head into the living room with his full plate of food.

* * *

Several times throughout the day Veronica caught herself thinking how much better her last flight had been in Logan's plane as opposed to flying commercial again. Even if there had been some awkward silences during their flights to Massachusetts and back, it had still been a million times better than her flights up to Prince Edward Island. Given the last minute booking, there wasn't much flexibility for seating, so for the longest leg of the trip she'd been cramped in a middle seat. By the time she reached Charlottetown she was exhausted—even though by California time it was still well before 7:00 p.m. Logan's smiling face was a welcome site when she finally made it to the arrivals' waiting area.

Although the smile on his face quickly changed to a scrutinizing gaze as she approached him. "Rough flight?" he asked almost hesitantly.

"How'd you guess?" she huffed with a bitter chuckle.

"Well… no offence, but you sort of look like shit," he replied, with more of a sympathetic tone than teasing at least.

"It's all  _your_ fault," she quickly countered teasingly. "You  _spoiled_ me with your private jet and ruined all commercial flights for me now." She paused and then shook her head before she continued. "And the  _turbulence_ … I really  _do_ hate that."

"Well if you stick around until I'm ready to fly back, you're welcome to join me so you won't have to subject yourself to such horrific conditions," he offered with a fond smile. "Speaking of return trips, any idea how long you can stay? Does your  _boss_ need you back by a certain day?"

Veronica chuckled at the reference of Keith being her boss. "No, but he said if something urgent comes up, he'd let me know."

"Perfect," Logan replied with a satisfied smile. "You hungry?"

Veronica gave him an incredulous look.

" _Of course_  you're hungry. Well, we could grab a bite to eat before heading to the hotel, or if you're beat from traveling all day, you could order room service and just crash for the night."

"I  _could_ use a little human interaction before I call it a day—but I suppose  _you'll_ do," she replied teasingly.

Logan chuckled as he carefully removed her carry-on bag from her shoulder. She happily relinquished it to him. "Let's go find the rest of your luggage and then get you some food before you get even more surly."

Veronica let out a mock gasp. "Me? Surly?"

Logan smirked and nodded as he started to walk in the direction of the baggage carousel. "Hm… churlish? Loutish? Cantankerous?" he offered instead with a smug grin.

"Are you  _sure_ the other photographer didn't just get enough of being with the human thesaurus and make up an excuse to fly back?"

"He sent me a picture this morning of him and the new arrival," Logan countered indignantly.

" _Photoshop_ ," Veronica sang as she pointed to her large suitcase that had just appeared on the carousel.

Logan chuckled and grabbed the bag, looking at her expectantly.

"That's it," she confirmed, earning a raised eyebrow from Logan. "What? I'm not a  _diva_ like you. I like to travel light."

"The fact that you could fit  _inside_ this monstrosity of a suitcase isn't exactly what I'd call ' _traveling light_ '," Logan teased as he gestured with his head toward the exit door. "Wait. You didn't smuggle someone up here did you? Mac would have been petite enough to easily fit in here."

Veronica snickered and shook her head. "She's much too busy these days to play stowaway sidekick with me."

"Mmm…. stowaway sidekick… sounds like a very fun game."

"Sorry buddy, you're much too large to fit in there," Veronica blurted out before really thinking about what she was saying. She immediately realized how it sounded when she saw the the salacious grin form on Logan's face. "Oh... no, no, no," she continued shaking her head and holding her hand up, fighting back a blush. "No ' _that's what she said_ ' comments, please."

"I wouldn't  _dream_ of it," Logan told her as he seemed to be trying his best to give her an innocent look, which didn't actually look all that innocent to her. "I was going to say, ' _you never complained before'_ ," he quickly amended with an absolutely not innocent bob of his eyebrows.

Veronica was definitely at a loss for words, not sure at all what she should say. But before she could even open her mouth, Logan was talking again.

"I'm sorry," he told her sounding genuinely apologetic. " _Old habits_ … I promise it won't happen again. I mean—you are here on business—so I suppose I should act more professional."

"I'll let it slide," she told him with a reassuring smile—even though deep down she realized she was a little disappointed that he wouldn't be trying to flirt with her anymore.

Logan bit on his lip and sucked in a quick breath. It took her a second to think about what she'd just said that might have caused his reaction. She quirked her eyebrow questioningly at him.

"What?" he asked, looking again as if he really was completely innocent. He chuckled and shook his head. "I shouldn't be blamed when  _you_ completely set me up with  _your_ innuendos!"

"Me?" she asked incredulously.

"I'm glad we agree it's you," he replied smugly, pointing toward a four-door Jeep Wrangler in the short-term parking area. "That's us," he added before pulling a key FOB from his pocket and unlocking it.

Veronica chuckled and shook her head as she moved toward the passenger door. While she was glad his old habits were hard to break, she reminded herself that as far as she knew, he still had a girlfriend, so she'd better not read too much into it. Even if she really did enjoy getting that sort of attention from him again.

"So there aren't a lot of options open this late. There's a place near the hotel that I wanted to check out and I looked them up while I was waiting for you to land. They're open until two, so we should be able to get you some food there," he suggested as he climbed into the driver seat.

"Should I be worried about what type of establishment this is that's open so late?" she asked, her tone clearly hesitant.

Logan chuckled as he backed out of the parking spot. "Well they certainly don't have anything like the Seventh Veil here, so I think you're safe."

Veronica snapped her fingers in faux disappointment. "Well I hope you have some better ideas of what I'm going to photograph for you, because that sort of wipes out one major specialty of mine."

Logan made a clicking sound with his tongue. "Sorry to disappoint you, but PEI is pretty pure… I haven't even seen any litter around town."

"What kind of place have you lured me to?" she asked with mock outrage.

"Don't worry, I'm sure the wholesomeness won't rub off on you that quickly," he told her with a laugh. "I've already been here over twenty-four hours and I certainly haven't become any more virtuous as my earlier comments proved."

"Well, if we're comparing the two of us on a scale, I'm pretty sure I was already much closer to the virtuous end than you were," she teased.

" _Riiight_ ," he replied, his tone clearly dripping with sarcasm. "At least that's what you liked to lead people to believe, but I think we both know the truth."

She huffed out a loud gasp in protest causing him to laugh even louder.

They'd already left the airport and had driven by several restaurants that, while they were already closed, she could still make out signs in their windows. "Lots of lobster, oysters and clams… that must make you feel super safe when you go out to eat here," she commented dryly.

"Yeah, well—just part of the travel writer job, I guess—nothing like being in a foreign country where you don't speak the language very well and trying to be sure you don't end up in anaphylactic shock. Adds a whole new level to being adventurous. At least they speak English here."

"Oh god… I hadn't thought of that," Veronica replied, worry clearly evident in her tone. "Has that happened?"

"No, not yet anyway. I'm usually pretty careful, but Casey also made me start carrying an EpiPen with me when I'm on assignment. Something about liability insurance or some BS like that, but I think he just didn't want to feel guilty if something happened to me. Of course if something were to happen tonight, having the EpiPen back at the hotel probably wouldn't really do me much good."

"Maybe we should go back to the hotel first," she suggested, seeing even more signs for various shellfish specials as they continued on through Charlottetown.

Logan let out a dismissive laugh. "I promise I won't die your first night here, Veronica. Got to save the dramatics for at least the second day."

Veronica scoffed and shook her head. "You know I'm going to pester you tomorrow to make sure you don't forget to bring it along."

"Whatever makes you happy, Veronica," he said with an amused laugh as he pulled the Jeep to a stop.

* * *

Even though it had been close to a month since her trip out to Massachusetts, flying across country in such a short period of time was definitely not something Veronica was accustomed to. She couldn't quite imagine how Logan did it several times a month for his writing assignments. By the time they'd finished eating and made it to the hotel, she was thoroughly exhausted. Logan had pointed out his room which was on the same floor as hers, but closer to the elevator than the one she'd been assigned. This time instead of being on opposite sides of the same wall, there were two other rooms separating them.

Logan had obviously noticed how tired she was and suggested a mid-morning start for the next day so she could sleep in a bit and gradually adjust to Atlantic Standard Time. Given how far east they were, they were even an hour ahead of what she'd even had to adjust to in Massachusetts. He'd shared over dinner that his plan for the next day was to check out the east side of the island, including several wineries in addition to the beaches and other sights.

When she'd finally made it to her room, she'd crashed on the bed while he dragged in her luggage. He teased her about taking the second room keycard that they'd given her just in case he needed to wake her up in the morning. The floored look on his face was totally worth agreeing and telling him to take one card with him. She'd coyly joked as he was leaving that she expected breakfast in bed if he planned to wake her up in the morning.

She was conscious enough to hear a soft knocking, but not quite awake enough to determine if it was her door or another. Normally she would have put the extra security latch on the night before, but whether it was a subconscious intentional oversight or just because she was so tired when she crawled into bed, she hadn't. As her door opened, she peeled one eye open just to be sure it really was Logan coming in. She immediately closed it again once she confirmed it was him.

"Mornin', Rip Van Winkle," Logan teased as she heard him move closer to the bed.

"Mmmph… wah time is it?"

Logan chuckled softly. "Almost ten, although that's still only six at home."

Veronica groaned and threw on arm over her face. She knew waking up would be tough, but she'd still hoped to get up by nine. She thought she'd set her alarm, but apparently had done something wrong.

"I was out for a run, so brought you some coffee and pastries," Logan share as she heard him setting something down on the table next to the bed.

"Was someone chasing you?" she mumbled with a soft laugh.

"Only the apparitions of my ill-spent youth," he answered, sounding much more introspective than a moment before.

She moved her arm and frowned slightly as she opened her eyes to get a better look at him.

"Coffee?" he asked as he held out a tall cup with a to-go lid still on top of it. A small smile ghosted across his lips before he continued. "I thought it was a more civilized way to wake you up, but I could always try Sully's method if you'd prefer."

She bit on her lip and shook her head. Thoughts of Logan's mouth on her bare stomach immediately flashed through her mind and she hoped she hadn't actually just blushed. She scooted up against the headboard and took the offered coffee from him.

"I um…" he stuttered out slowly. "I thought I'd drop this off, hoping it might help wake you up if you're having a tough time getting started this morning. I still need to go back to my room to shower and change from my run, though… so um… see you in say forty-five minutes or so?"

"Yeah, okay," she replied, wondering if it was just her sleep addled brain that had imagined he'd gone from sullen and introspective, to mildly teasing, and then to nervous and unsettled in the blink of an eye. "You don't want to stay and have something to eat too?" she asked, gesturing at the pastry box with her head.

"Maybe I'll have one in the car if you don't devour them all first," he answered, a mischievous smirk appearing for a second before he turned back to the door.

"No promises," she teased in reply earning a chuckle from him before he vanished out the door.

She glanced down at the coffee in her hand, her brows furrowing slightly. For whatever reason, she couldn't help but feel like Logan's behavior had just been a little bit off. She suddenly found herself hoping that maybe while she was here spending more time with him that she'd work up the courage to actually ask him what he was thinking and feeling, rather than shying away from those possibly uncomfortable conversations. _Isn't that what real friends do, Veronica?_

* * *

Veronica had gotten ready as quickly as she could after Logan left, feeling bad that she'd overslept and caused them to start later than Logan may have wanted to. She seriously doubted it would take him forty-five minutes to get ready and figured he'd suggested the extra time for her benefit. She quickly dried her hair after her shower and put it into a quick braided bun, figuring that would also help keep it from blowing around later while she was trying to take photos.

She grabbed her photo bag, the rest of the coffee she hadn't polished off and the unopened box of pastries and headed to Logan's room. Glancing at the clock before she walked out of her room, she was happy that she'd only taken thirty minutes to get ready to go. Based on the look on Logan's face when he opened the door, he definitely seemed surprised.

"Reporting for duty, sir," she teased with a salute and a smirk as he gestured for her to come in.

Logan chuckled as he headed toward the bed. " _Getting to be Veronica Mars' superior_ … you have no idea how many times I fantasized about that."

When she quirked an eyebrow at him, his expression became a bit sheepish, as if he maybe regretted letting that slip out. She of course assumed those fantasies were likely limited to the distant past when they were actually together. Rather than making it awkward, she decided to change the topic.

"You remembered to grab your EpiPen, right?"

Logan let out a soft huff and nodded. "And there goes the illusion that I was actually the one in charge. At least those were a nice two seconds."

Veronica rolled her eyes as she scoffed slightly. She watched as he grabbed a notebook off the desk and shoved it into the messenger bag that he'd picked up from the bed.

"The EpiPen's in here," he assured her as he patted the side of the bag. "Do you need physical proof, or gonna take my word for it?"

She gave him a tight smile. "I trust you."

His quirked eyebrows suggested that he didn't quite believe her.

"I'm sure you know if you  _are_ lying and you eat something you're allergic to and don't have it, I will personally kill you anyway," she countered with a sly grin.

He at least laughed and nodded in response.

"Did you save any of those for me?" he asked as he gestured toward the pastry box with his head.

"Shockingly, I haven't even had one yet myself."

Once again, he quirked his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Are you gonna take my word for it, or do you want physical proof?" she mimicked back, earning a hearty laugh from him.

"I trust you," he told her, staring a bit more intensely at her than she'd seen from him in a long time.

"Shall we?" he asked after a few seconds of intently looking at her.

She nodded and turned back to the door, wishing once again that she'd been bold enough to ask him what he was thinking in that moment.

"So where are we off to first?" Veronica asked as they stepped into the elevator.

"I thought we'd stop by a couple of the lighthouses on our way to the Rossignol Winery. There are actually over two dozen lighthouses spread around the island."

"No wonder there aren't any strip clubs… there aren't any dark seedy corners to put one," Veronica joked.

Logan raised an eyebrow at her, clearly insinuating that she was really stretching it with that joke.

" _Yaaaay_ … lighthouses," Veronica rebutted, sounding overly excited and shaking her hands like she was holding pompoms.

"Well, I can honestly say none of my other photographers have been quite so enthusiastic about my itineraries," Logan shared with a laugh. "If I stop off and get you a set of pompoms will you do a cheer for every place we stop?"

Veronica pretended to seriously consider it for a second before giving him a definitive 'no', earning a heartier chuckle from him.

"I've got to admit that it's almost a bit déjà vu-ish. But instead of me tagging along with you for stake-outs, now you're tagging along with me for article research."

"If you're feeling nostalgic for some quality views of the Camelot, I'll give you a call the next time I'm on a case there," she offered with a soft laugh.

"The ambiance there was particularly charming, wasn't it?"

She hesitated for a second, wondering if there was something more than just teasing in his tone. She realized she could have picked a couple other sleazy hotels that he'd sat out in front of with her, but of course—with  _him_ —she immediately went for the Camelot. How many times in the past nine months had she sat across the street staring up at the spot where they'd first kissed?  _The_ ambiance  _wasn't all that was charming._ The sound of Logan unlocking the Jeep drew her out of her moment of reflection.

Once they were both seated, Logan pulled his phone out and appeared to be opening a GPS app, when a call came through. She saw what looked like a surprised expression cross his face before he answered it.

"Hey, Paisley," he greeted, giving Veronica a quick almost apologetic smile.

"Good morning, Handsome." Paisley's exuberant voice came through loud enough for Veronica to hear it in the otherwise quiet car.

"You sound pretty  _perky_ … went to bed early or lots of espresso?"

"The latter,  _of course_ ," Paisley replied with a small laugh. "Hey, I talked to Paige  _finally_. Was your friend from Neptune able to fly out, because Paige said she could hook you up with a couple of her East Coast friends if you still need a photographer."

Logan gave Veronica a quick smile before answering. "Yep, Veronica flew out yesterday. We're actually just getting ready to tackle the east side of the island today."

"That's great! I'm sure you two will have a fun time."

"Speaking of  _fun_ … how's  _Pittsburgh_?" he asked, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

"So much fun I can barely contain myself."

"Well you could be having fun  _here_ instead, you know."

Veronica knew him well enough to sense a slight bit of annoyance in his tone, even if anyone else would have thought he was just playing around.

"I'm sorry… if Angelica hadn't asked as a personal favor…"

"I know."

"Next time though. Hey, at least our time zones are only an hour different this time. That should make staying in touch easier."

"Yeah, that's true. We really should get going, though, since we're getting a little later start today than usual."

"Okay. Have fun exploring."

" _Joy in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift."_

"Ummmm…  _no_ idea," Paisley replied, obviously knowing it was a quote.

"Albert Einstein. Hey, knock 'em dead today, 're lucky to have you filling in there."

"Thanks, babe. I'll talk to you later."

After a quick goodbye Logan ended the call.

" _Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts_ ," Veronica quoted with a shy grin, earning a slightly surprised look from Logan.

"Nice," he replied, nodding slowly. He narrowed his eyes slightly before continuing. "Did you steal my quote of the day calendar when I wasn't looking?"

Veronica laughed and shook her head.

"Just a big fan of Albert Einstein, then?"

"Who  _isn't_?" she teased back with an exaggerated incredulous tone.

"Obviously not Paisley," Logan replied with a soft chuckle.

As much as she'd tried to avoid the topic of Paisley before, she was a little more curious about their relationship after overhearing their call. Obviously from Logan's comment, he must have invited her to come along with him at some point. She hadn't even considered that possibility when she'd eagerly agreed to come up here to help him out. That certainly would have made for an awkward couple of days. She suddenly found her sense of curiosity winning out over her reluctance to learn more about their relationship.

"Has Paisley gone on many other trips with you?"

"Only one. She went to Bali with me back when we first started dating."

"Oh. Have you two been dating very long?"

Logan appeared to be thinking for a moment, apparently trying to figure out how long it had been. "Hmmm… I guess a little over ten months. It doesn't seem that long with all the time we spend apart with work, though."

Veronica thought Logan had only been in San Diego for a few months based on comments from Sabrina—of course that was before she knew Sterling's friend was actually Logan. She couldn't help but wonder now if he'd relocated there so he could be closer to Paisley.

"Is that how you ended up back in San Diego? Did you move there to live closer to Paisley?"

Logan shook his head. "No. I guess I was pretty much a nomad after college graduation. I moved around a lot for various assignments and hadn't really settled down anywhere specific. Although, Casey's company has an office in New York as well as LA, so I spent a fair amount of time there. Paisley's sister lives in New York and we actually met at some charity event there that Casey asked me to attend for him since he couldn't make it out that weekend. Even though we were on opposite coasts when she first asked me out, Paisley flies back to visit her sister quite a bit, so it worked okay. I guess the reason I moved was because I finally started to admit to myself that I missed California—you know, the sun and the surf—so I decided to give San Diego a try."

Veronica did find it a little odd that he hadn't decided to move to LA instead since that's where Paisley lived, but decided not to press on that specific aspect of his decision to go back. Instead she asked if he liked being back.

"Yeah," Logan replied with a content smile on his face. "It took a little getting used to at first, but I'm really liking how things are going recently."

"How'd you like living in Cambridge?"

"The anonymity was nice. No one there cared who I was," he shared, sounding more unguarded than she'd heard him be up to that point.

"Yeah… starting over with a fresh slate… I know the appeal."

Logan gave her a somber smile as he nodded. "I guess we both had a lot of baggage to try to get away from, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess we did."

Logan seemed to nervously clear his throat before he continued. "So are you going to hog all the pastries or did you bring them along to share?"

"The box felt fairly heavy, so I suppose I can share at least  _one_ with you," she teased as she turned around to grab the box off the back seat.

"Well that's more generous than only getting  _half_ of one," he laughed in reply.

"You're just lucky that I'm feeling quite benevolent today. I'll even let you have first choice," she told him, earning a skeptical look from him. She opened the box and shifted it so he could see inside.

"I planned ahead and got doubles of everything, so hopefully that saves my ass when I choose the wrong one," Logan teased as he grabbed a bear claw out of the box.

"Wise man," she replied with a sly grin, shifting the box into her lap so she could look over all her options before choosing which one to start with.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving comments. I really do appreciate all the support from everyone and I hope you enjoy this new chapter.
> 
> And as always, thanks to my wonderful beta Bondopoulos!
> 
> Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.

Veronica's first full day on the island flew by much more quickly than she'd expected, although waking up late likely contributed to that. She and Logan had headed east out of Charlottetown, mostly following the ocean as they went. They'd made several stops on their way to the first winery that Logan had wanted to visit. She'd been surprised by how meticulous and organized he was, checking notes in his notebook and adding new notes at the various stops. Not only had she been surprised by how methodical he was, but also by how much time he spent talking to other people—locals and tourists alike. For tourists, he typically asked where they were from and what other places on the island they'd visited and what spots they'd highly recommend they try. He'd ask similar questions of the locals, looking for recommendations from them of places they shouldn't miss while they were there.

On more than one occasion, she'd been referred to by the people they encountered as his girlfriend or wife, generally before he'd share that he was working on an article for a travel magazine. The first time it happened, he'd quirked his brows slightly in her direction and she'd given him a smile that she hoped conveyed that she was okay with him deciding whether to correct them or not. She'd been quite happy that he hadn't immediately corrected them with an offended denial at least.

She definitely felt like there was a different dynamic between them while they were exploring the island compared to the time they'd spent alone flying back and forth to Massachusetts. She couldn't help but feel like they were quickly falling back into the same comfortable rhythm that they'd had when they were dating, just without the physical intimacy. She couldn't deny that she missed that aspect of what they used to have too though, and several times throughout the day those thoughts crossed her mind. She had to remind herself several times of the argument she'd given to Sully when he'd pushed her about the topic of her and Logan when they were in LA—that she wasn't willing to risk his friendship by pursuing something more.

They'd basically traveled in a counterclockwise loop of the east side of the island and made it back to Charlottetown in time to have dinner. She was a bit worried when the restaurant he wanted to check out had a giant lobster on the front of the building—aptly named Lobster on the Wharf—and had made sure that he didn't leave the epipen in the car like had had when they'd stopped for lunch. It had turned out to be an amazing restaurant, though, with a very extensive menu, including many non-seafood options—much to her relief. The seating on the restaurant's patio overlooked the harbor and they enjoyed the evening breeze while their first day of exploring slowly came to an end for them.

They'd agreed to an earlier starting time for the next morning before they'd parted ways in front of Logan's door that night. She'd glanced back down to the other end of the hall when she reached her own door and saw that he was still there leaning in his doorway, apparently watching that she made it safely to hers. Given the high-scale hotel they were staying in, it certainly wasn't necessary, but she still appreciated the gesture and gave him a small wave before disappearing into her own room for the night.

Since she really hadn't wanted to oversleep for a second day in a row, Veronica had called down to the front desk and requested a wake-up call for the morning. When the phone started ringing, she reluctantly dragged herself out of bed to answer it before heading into the shower. She definitely missed having coffee and pastries delivered by Logan as her morning wake up call, but she knew he'd planned to stop at a breakfast place on their journey to the northern side of the island, so she wasn't expecting the same treatment two mornings in a row.

She'd just finished getting dressed and had yet to dry her hair and do her makeup when there was a knock on the door. She glanced at the clock to be sure she hadn't messed up the time again somehow, but it was still forty minutes before she was supposed to meet Logan. She looked through the peephole, confirming it was him, before opening the door.

"Mmmm… coffee!" she said with delight as she reached out and took one of the cups that he was carrying.

"And good morning to you too," Logan replied with a chuckle as he stepped farther into the room and closed the door.

"Mm-hmm," she mumbled as she took a drink of the delicious—much needed—caffeinated beverage. She frowned when she noticed he was carrying some sort of food bag with him too. "I thought we were stopping some place for breakfast?" she asked as she gestured toward the bag with her head.

"Change of plans," he shared with the smile that always seemed to proceed him trying to get away with something he wasn't sure she'd approve of.

"But I thought we were having breakfast on our way to Cavendish," she reminded him with a quirked brow.

He held the bag open and she leaned in to see a selection of muffins inside. She plucked out a blueberry one and moved over to sit on the small couch that was located at the end of her bed. Logan leaned against the desk, setting his coffee down on it so he could pick a muffin out as well. He grabbed what looked to her like a banana nut muffin and set the bag down. He tore off a small piece of the muffin before setting it down next to the bag and picking up his coffee cup again.

"We may stop there later today, but after going through my notes from yesterday and thinking more about some of the comments from the other tourists we talked to, there was something else I wanted to do today."

Veronica thought back to the day before. She'd overheard some of the conversations he'd had with the various folks they'd come across, but sometimes she was more focused on taking pictures and hadn't always been close enough to hear what they'd been talking about.

"Oh! Are you talking me to the Potato Museum today so I can try their fudge?" she asked excitedly.

He laughed and shook his head. She made a pouty face before taking a second bite of her muffin.

"We're going kayaking," he announced, tilting his head slightly, possibly waiting to gauge her reaction.

"In the  _ocean_?" she asked, a bit louder than was actually necessary. She was certain her expression probably looked even more incredulous than her tone sounded.

"No, no… just a big bay, Malpeque Bay," he explained as he fidgeted with his coffee cup and studied her a bit more intently.

"How about I just take photos of  _you_ from shore and you can kayak around the bay all you like," she said right before picking up her own coffee again.

He let out an audible sigh and shook his head. "That would defeat the purpose of having you go along to see what you can photograph of the islands  _in_ the bay."

She frowned as she took another sip of coffee.

"You're not afraid of the water are you?" he asked suspiciously, his brow squinched up.

"No… I just… I don't like falling  _in it_  all that much…" she paused and let out a small sigh, "...especially with an expensive camera." She knew the camera line was just an excuse though.

Logan seemed to pause to study her for a moment. "Is that why you stopped trying to learn to surf? Wait… did something happen when you were trying to learn to surf with  _Duncan_?"

She shook her head unconvincingly as she shrugged. Logan had tried to teach her to surf the summer they first dated but then they split up and Duncan tried again during their senior year. Logan must have somehow heard about them going even though they never ran into each other out on the beach. What he apparently hadn't known, though, was that she'd had a terrible wipeout one afternoon and felt like she was going to drown. Since Logan hadn't pressured her to try surfing when they started dating again , she'd never brought it up.

" _Veronica…_ " he continued sounding a bit frustrated and clearly pressing her for more information..

"Fine," she relented with a huff. "Yeah… maybe… it wasn't that big a deal though."

"I'm sorry," he said with a frown. "I wish you'd told me."

"We weren't exactly on  _friendly_  terms when it happened and I guess I'd tried to just forget about it later."

"Well I  _promise_ you won't fall in today, okay. You trust me, right?"

She drew in a long deep breath and nodded, trying to not sound hesitant. "Yes, I trust you."

"The bay should be nice and calm… if it's too rough, we can scrap it and do something else. I really have had a lot of kayaking experience—even sea kayaking—and I promise you won't fall in. But if it's too scary, just let me know and I'll take you back to shore, okay?" he told her, his smile compassionate.

She smiled more and nodded. Logan had certainly helped her get over other insecurities that Duncan had unintentionally—or intentionally—inflicted on her. If she was ever going to get over her fear of large bodies of water, Logan was certainly the only person she'd trust enough to let try.

"I um… need to finish getting ready to go," she told him as she tousled her wet hair. "You're welcome to hang out here and finish your muffin and coffee though."

"I should head back to pack up my stuff," he told her, a hint of reluctance in his tone. "Just head down to my room when you're ready to go, okay?"

"Yeah… it won't take me too long. Thanks for breakfast."

He pushed off from the edge of the desk and nodded. "Of course...and thanks for putting your trust in me."

"You're buying me a new camera if anything happens to that one," she warned, tossing him an intimidating glare even though she knew he would see right through it.

"Only fair," he replied with a tender smile before he vanished out the door.

* * *

"So, I never heard how you and Sabrina became friends, or did you meet Sully first?" Logan asked after they'd been driving for a little while.

Veronica couldn't help but laugh thinking back to how the two of them first met. "Oh, no, it was Sabrina."

Logan turned his head toward her for a second, an intrigued expression on his face. "Well, don't keep me in suspense, Mars," he teased as he looked back at the road.

"So it was probably the second week of school and I was at a coffee shop right by campus waiting for my order when she came in. She sort of did this double take when she saw me—obviously because we look so much alike—and then announced 'I want  _you_ for my halloween costume!'. Definitely not the sort of thing anyone has  _ever_  said to me. And I've heard some pretty strange things."

Logan chuckled and nodded in agreement.

"Anyway, I suppose my horrified-slash-confused expression was enough for her to feel the need to explain what she meant. She said she had a twin brother, but that didn't really work for a true ' _twin costume_ ' and she'd never met someone else who resembled her so closely. Her first idea was for me to follow her around carrying an empty frame so I could be her reflection."

"Well… that's definitely different."

"Yeah… I politely declined, but she followed me to my class throwing out other crazyideas. I was thinking that would be the end of it, but she seemed to keep finding me around campus, sharing new ideas every few days. At some point I told her that 'Single White Female' was way too overdone as a Halloween theme, which she found absolutely hilarious and asked where I lived so she could break in to inventory my clothes so she could start dressing like me. It was obvious she was only teasing of course. She certainly did come up with some funny ideas though, and I guess it became a thing—waiting to see what crazy idea she'd throw at me next."

"So what were some of these crazy ideas?" Logan asked, clearly amused by the story.

"Hmm… let's see. There was the actress and her stunt double. Plus the usual things like the twins from The Shining, or Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Doctor Seuss." Veronica paused for a moment, trying to recall Sabrina's more colorful ideas. "Oh, and she suggested getting one of her other friends to play a mad scientist and we'd be his clone experiment. Of course a lot of them would be ridiculous to try to explain to people."

"Well you became friends, so I take it she won you over eventually. Did you actually do one of her costume ideas then?"

Veronica huffed out a chuckle and nodded. "You've met Sabrina… I'm sure you've noticed she usually ends up getting her way."

"Yeah, I've sort of noticed that," Logan laughed in reply.

"We went as the Doublemint twins."

Logan laughed even harder.

"She had replicas of the dresses in the 2005 commer—"

"The tandem bike commercial?" Logan interrupted, turning toward her for a second, his eyes sparkling with mischief and an almost lascivious smirk on his lips.

" _Yeah_ ," Veronica replied with an exasperated sigh as she shook her head. "Of course  _you'd_ remember that."

"Did you go around singing the jingle too?"

" _Maybe_ ," Veronica admitted reluctantly, drawing more laughter from Logan.

" _Please_  tell me you have pictures, or better yet, video, of that?"

"I  _may_  have a picture saved somewhere," she admitted sheepishly.

"That definitely tops our coordinated White Stripes costumes," he commented as he gave her a quick smile.

"Of the two, my favorite was still ours," she confessed hesitantly.

"That was actually the last time I dressed up for Halloween," Logan admitted as he glanced at her for a second. He turned back to the road before he continued. "Remember Lilly forcing the four of us to do the Wizard of Oz… and  _borrowing_ their neighbor's puppy to be Toto?"

Veronica laughed and nodded. "Talk about someone who always got what they wanted! Like poor Mr. Waterson had any choice."

"Well I thought you made an adorable Tinman… Tin- _woman_?"

"Definitely more tin- _girl_  at that point," Veronica clarified with a chuckle. "And you were a  _fabulous_ Scarecrow."

"Yeah… I was definitely lacking in  _smarts_ back then, so I guess Lils had that pegged pretty well."

"I wouldn't say that," Veronica argued. "Cowardly Lion  _definitely_  fit Duncan, though." She paused for a moment before continuing. "And I suppose being heartless isn't that big of a stretch for me."

"Are you kidding me?" Logan asked as he quickly turned to her, his brow furrowed.

She shrugged in reply.

"I've known  _heartless_ people, Veronica, and trust me, you're  _nothing_ like them."

She was about to argue that she felt like she'd done some things that sort of felt heartless when he started talking again.

"I definitely agree about Duncan, though," Logan continued, disgust lacing his words. "Although I guess he at least finally took a stand for his kid—found one thing worth fighting for."

"Not everyone has as much courage as you do, Logan," she said without giving it much thought. She certainly didn't mean for it to come out as a defense for anything Duncan did and hoped he wouldn't take it that way.

" _Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage_ ," Logan mumbled softly as he kept his gaze firmly fixed on the road in front of him. After a momentary pause he added 'Lao Tzu'.

"I guess his daughter was the one person he truly loved," she said quietly, wishing the topic of Duncan hadn't come up. It always seemed to be one issue that they hadn't handled very well in the past.

"Did he ever contact you after he left?" Logan asked after a few minutes of silence.

"No," she replied quickly, not expecting him to ask her that. "You?"

"No… I always thought it would be crazy to run into him on one of my trips. I always keep an eye out since I have no idea what country he might be in—of course mostly when I'm in countries that  _don't_  have extradition treaties with the US," he added with a chuckle.

"That would be so surreal to run into him like that," Veronica shared. "I guess I never expected to see him again, so haven't given him much thought at all."

Logan looked at her again for a moment, brows furrowed questioningly. "Really? You've never wondered what it would be like if he came back?"

Veronica shook her head. "No… never."  _Wondering what it would be like if Duncan came back into my life—no. Wondering what it would be like if you did—so many times I've lost count._

He continued to study her for a second, before turning his attention back to the road again. "I thought I saw a guy who looked like him when I was in Bolivia. He was on the other side of a crowded market and by the time I'd made it over to where I'd seen him the guy was gone."

"I really liked your article on Bolivia," she tossed out, hoping to get him to move on to some other topic besides Duncan and the ghosts of their past.

"Ahhhh… Copacabana," Logan replied with a chuckle. "I bet you ended up singing the song didn't you?"

"Who wouldn't?" she asked with exaggerated indignation, causing Logan to laugh even harder.

" _Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl… With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there_ ," Veronica started to sing and playfully pointed at her chest.

"I  _tormented_ my photographer with that while we were there," Logan shared when she stopped singing. "Mostly just humming it whenever we were driving around in the car."

"And you're surprised when your photographers bail on you?" she asked with a laugh.

"Hey, my photographers usually  _love_ me," he protested.

"Sure they do," she teased in reply.

" _She would merengue and do the cha-cha… And while she tried to be a star… Tony always tended bar_ ," she started singing again.

Logan laughed and shook his head before he joined in and sang along with her.

* * *

Veronica stood near the edge of the water frowning out at the bay. Logan was several yards away from her talking to the woman who he was renting the kayak from. She could hear them discussing things like currents and water hazards, but she wasn't really paying much attention to them at all. Her mind was stuck on how gigantic the bay was and how far away the islands were from where they were starting out.  _So much water_. And while there weren't large waves, it was still far from representing something like a placid lake.

"Anne said the conditions are perfect for us this morning," Logan shared as he walked over to Veronica. He held up a life jacket for her to use, an encouraging smile on his face.

She took a deep breath and took the jacket from him, slipping her arms into it and focusing on figuring out how to properly fasten it, rather than saying anything.

" _Veronica_?" Logan uttered softly, causing her to sigh and look up at him. "If you don't want to go out, we don't have to," he told her with a compassionate tone. "It's your call. I'm not going to force you to do something you're not comfortable with, okay?"

"I'm okay," she replied, trying her best to overcome this fear of the water she never used to have.

His brows furrowed as a sad expression formed on his face. "I wish I'd known something had happened, Veronica," he confessed, anguish evident in his tone.

"It's not your fault I never told you," she said giving him a tender smile. "I appreciate you trying to help me get over it now, though."

He nodded as the sadness seemed to morph a bit more into something else. If she were to guess, she thought it may be gratitude that she was willing to give it a try for him. "We'll go out a little ways and see how you're feeling. I can get us back pretty quickly if it's too overwhelming for you. Just say the word, okay?"

"Sounds good," she replied, feigning as much bravery as possible. She really hadn't expected this to be quite so difficult and was a little frustrated in herself for letting something that happened years ago still bother her. She gestured for him to lead the way, and then followed him over to where the sea kayak was sitting on the shore waiting for them.

She was surprised how quickly they seemed to move through the water once Logan pushed the kayak off and started rowing. He'd told her not to worry about trying to help row, so she could just relax and watch the scenery for interesting things to photograph. At the moment, her camera was still in the bag that sat on her lap, while her hands were tightly gripping the handles by her seat. She was more focused on keeping her breathing steady than actually looking for something to photograph.

"How are you doing? Want to head back?" Logan asked after they'd been heading away from shore for several minutes.

She shook her head and took a deep breath before carefully turning in her seat to see his face. She released the death grip from one of the handles and gave him a thumbs up, at least earning a smile from him.

"Did you see the eagles?" he asked, gesturing with his head toward the island they were getting closer to.

She shook her head again and turned in the direction he'd been looking, spotting a pair of bald eagles flying gracefully toward the island.

"They're so beautiful," she said, carefully turning the other way to see Logan again.

He smiled and nodded in agreement, glancing at the majestic birds for a few seconds before looking back at her. "Did you know that bald eagles remain faithful to one mate their entire life?" he asked, turning his attention back to them.

"I didn't know that," she replied, also turning to watch the two birds again.

"And their nests can actually weigh up to a ton," he continued, causing her to give him a skeptical look. "Seriously… I read about it in some nature magazine. And they can be up to eight feet across… you could easily take a nap in one," he added with a teasing smirk.

"Gross," she laughed as she shook her head. "But good to know in case you strand us on one of these islands today. I'll be sure to go find a giant nest to sleep in."

He laughed as well and shook his head. "We're not getting stranded… but that doesn't mean I won't abandon you if you're mean to me."

She could tell by his tone and the smile on his face that he was only teasing her.

"I'll be good," she countered, realizing that she was finally starting to feel relaxed and not halfway paralyzed with fear. She carefully took her camera out of her bag and snapped a few pictures of the two eagles as they made lazy circles across the sky, apparently looking for a meal in the water below.

* * *

By the time Logan and Veronica made it back to where they'd started, her fear of the water had subsided greatly. The views around the bay had been beautiful and in addition to seeing several more bald eagles, they'd also seen Great Blue Heron, Osprey and Northern Goshawks.

After they'd returned the kayaking gear they headed to a restaurant that Logan wanted to check out not too far from the bay. The pub was located in an old train station in Kensington. While they were eating they saw several groups bicycle past the restaurant's patio and Logan explained how they'd converted the train route to almost 300 miles of paths around the island when they discontinued the train system. He decided to add exploring some shorter segments of the trail as another possible thing for them to try if they had time before the end of their trip.

"So… where to next?" Veronica asked as they walked back to the Jeep when they were finished with lunch.

"It's a surprise," he answered with a smug grin.

"Potato fudge?"

Logan let out a sigh and shook his head. "No. You're not going to let that one go are you?"

She smiled and shook her head. She'd noticed the look he'd made when a couple the day before had mentioned the potato museum and that they had fudge made from potatoes there. It was clearly his 'not more food for Veronica to obsess over' look. "I thought we were going to head to Cavendish this afternoon?" she asked as she stopped next to the car.

" _A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving_ —Lao Tzu," Logan muttered in his quotation voice.

She squished her nose up as she considered possible scenarios. "Does it involve another water activity?"

"No," he replied with a sympathetic smile.

"So where are we going then?"

"You'll see," he teased as he climbed into the car.

She threw out various ideas as they drove, but he'd only shake his head every time.

"Alpacas!" she cried out excitedly when she spotted the sign. She saw several of the adorable creatures grazing on grass near the road behind a crisp white fence and got even more excited.

He chuckled and nodded as he turned on his signal and slowed down to turn off the road. "I remember how much you adored Bob when mom had him, so thought you might enjoy visiting the farm here. I'll take you for your potato fudge later."

"Yay," she cheered excitedly as she clapped her hands, earning a louder laugh from Logan.

"Well, I think you deserve both rewards for agreeing to go out in the bay with me," he added with a tender smile.

"Thanks for giving me the little push I needed to help me get over my irrational fear," she told him. "I don't know that I would have willingly trusted anyone else but you to do that with," she added, forcing herself to open up more to him, even if she did feel a little nervous about it.

A tender smile appeared on his face for a moment, before he pulled the Jeep to a stop next to a large red barn. "I really appreciate you putting your trust in me." His tone clearly conveying how much it really did mean to him "Hey, if you want to do any more water activities, I'm happy to do something else with you. I've been wanting to do some more stand up paddleboarding. We could try that here, but I'm guessing you'd rather wait a little while before attempting something like that, so maybe we could do it sometime after we're back in California."

Veronica had spotted a few paddleboarders the day before on the other side of the island in one of the small rivers they'd driven by, and while she thought at the time she'd never want to try that, after their kayak trip she was willing to at least consider giving it a try. "Yeah. Let's plan something when we get back," she told him, surprised by her own self-confidence. She hoped he'd be as persistent about setting that up as he had about his double-date idea.

"I'm going to hold you to that," he replied, his eyes narrowed in determination.

"I'll be disappointed if you don't," she countered, her eyebrows raised with a sly grin, earning a soft chuckle and a head nod from him.

"So, ready to go give some adorable alpacas some lovin'?" he asked, gesturing with his head toward the gentle creatures grazing just beyond the fence.

"Absolutely," she replied, unable to hide her excitement, not only about the alpacas but about the promise of spending more time with him when they were back home too.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving comments. I really do enjoy hearing from you all. And as always, thanks to my wonderful beta Bondopoulos!
> 
> Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.

 

Veronica was pleased with how well things were going with Logan. She wasn't sure if it was because there wasn't the pressure of a relationship or if it was because they'd finally matured enough to get past a lot of the issues that had plagued them in the past. While the catching up and communicating they'd done in Massachusetts had left her feeling comfortable around him again, she was starting to feel even more connected to him on this trip. Starting on their second day on the island, she'd begun to notice that it seemed as if he was physically starting to feel more comfortable with her too. It was probably nothing—Logan had always been very tactile—but he hadn't been like that with her again up until then. It was just little things she'd started to notice, like resting his hand on her lower back when they were climbing steep stairs at one of the lighthouses or holding her hand when she was climbing up some boulders for a better angle for a photograph. He also seemed to lean closer to her than he had before to quietly share various observations with her throughout the day. She was sure that they were all completely innocent gestures, but they made her long for the ones that maybe weren't as innocent when they had been younger. She found herself having to remind herself more frequently about what she told Sully in LA about not wanting to get between Logan and his girlfriend.

They'd spent most of their third morning in Cavendish, checking out multiple locations including the red cliffs and various spots related to Anne of Green Gables and Lucy Maud Montgomery. After exploring the Dalvay-by-the-Sea resort that had been used in the Anne of Green Gables mini-series, they went for a short hike to check out the nearby Long Pond. Unlike the trials around the Green Gables Heritage Place where they'd stopped earlier, this trail was not very crowded, and during parts of their walk no one else seemed to be around.

"So your birthday's in a couple of weeks. Any big plans?" Logan asked after they'd been walking for a while. He carefully ducked under a low hanging branch before turning toward her with an expectant look.

Veronica was a little surprised he'd remembered her birthday, although she certainly hadn't forgotten his. Every time that date had rolled around on the calendar during the last five years, she'd considered calling to wish him a happy birthday, but had never worked up the courage to actually do it. "Nothing specific, although Sabrina and Sully's birthday is actually a couple days before mine, so Sabrina usually plans something and includes me in their celebration too."

"She does seem to enjoy planning things, doesn't she?" Logan asked with an amused smirk.

Veronica chuckled softly as she nodded in agreement.

"Well, if you need a ride out to see them…" he started, sounding almost a little nervous.

She wondered why he seemed hesitant about it. "Worried you might not be invited?" she asked with a sly grin, guessing that might be what he was thinking.

"Well I didn't want to be too  _presumptuous_ ," he replied, biting slightly on his lip as he smiled at her almost bashfully.

Veronica laughed a bit louder. "I'm pretty sure Sabrina will invite her fiancé's best man to her birthday celebration. She seems pretty fond of you so I wouldn't worry too much about it."

" _Despite_  what you may have told her," he countered, raising his eyebrows in a way that she couldn't quite tell if he was actually questioning her or just teasing.

She decided some reassuring might be in order regardless of his intent. "You can rest assured that I left out all the really  _sordid_  details of our past," she told him with a slightly crooked grin. "She got the watered-down version of my life in Neptune."

"Hmmm.. as opposed to Sully?"

Veronica let out a slow sigh and nodded. "I guess Sully and I commiserated more over our past mistakes than I did with Sabrina," she shared without giving it much thought.

She heard Logan suck in a sharp breath. "Always nice to be referred to as a  _mistake_ ," he mumbled dispiritedly.

"No, I didn't mean it like that at all," Veronica quickly clarified, although she still could see a frown on Logan's face. "I meant more the mistakes I  _personally_ made… and dating you was  _not_ one of those, Logan."

He turned to look at her for a second before focusing on the trail again. It was clear from his expression that he didn't quite believe her. She still seemed to have the ability to completely put her foot in her mouth without meaning to.

"Running away when things got tough, though, that was one mistake I really regret," she admitted. She cast a quick glance in his direction and caught the surprised look on his face when he turned to look at her again.

It took a moment for him to speak, but when he did, a softer expression had replaced the surprised one. "I think we both needed some time to grow up and figure out our lives. I never blamed you for leaving, Veronica. I definitely wasn't happy about it, but I understood why—eventually. I'm just really glad you're in my life again now," he confessed, his voice full of affection and warmth.

"Me too," she admitted, wishing once again that she could tell him that she would have liked for it to be more than just as friends—but she'd gladly take his friendship over not being in his life at all.

She was caught off guard when his arm suddenly came up and crossed over her chest, stopping her in her tracks. Before she could ask him what was going on, he pulled his arm back and put a finger to his lips and then pointed off the side of the trail into the woods. It took her a few seconds to figure out what he was pointing at, but then she saw two little foxes run out from under some brush to join their mother and two other little kits.

She carefully lifted up her camera that was hanging around her neck and snapped a couple shots of the adorable little family. The mother seemed a bit wary of them though, cautiously watching Logan and Veronica before she finally turned and headed into some thicker cover. The four little babies darting behind her.

Veronica turned and grinned up at Logan. "They were so cute!"

"Definitely your spirit animal," Logan teased with a devious smirk. "Sly and crafty. Not to mention extremely playful too."

Veronica stuck her tongue out before she laughed and shook her head. "So if my spirit animal is a fox, then what's yours?" she challenged.

Logan gave her a crooked grin and shrugged. "Well I think you've called me a jackass on several occasions so maybe a  _donkey_?"

"Hardly!" Veronica protested and gave him a playful punch. "I'm pretty sure that would  _NOT_ be your spirit animal, although you can be a bit stubborn like a mule sometimes." She paused and scrunched up her nose while she tried to come up with something better. "I could see it being something water related—"

"Jellyfish?" Logan interrupted with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Penguin?" he tried next.

"No, although you do have a fondness for tuxes, don't you?" she replied with a chuckle. "I was thinking more like a shark maybe."

Logan shrugged, but didn't look like he quite agreed.

"Maybe not," she continued, trying to come up with something else. "You are pretty agile… hmm... like a cat?"

"A house cat?" Logan asked sounding rather skeptical about that as well.

Veronica shook her head. "No… you're definitely not as tame as a house cat or as small. Hmm… lion?"

She noticed the corner of his lip curl up slightly. He definitely liked that better than a shark.

"Lion, eh? What made you come up with that?" he asked, sounding intrigued by her choice.

"Well you were  _king_ of the 09ers," she replied and smirked as he rolled his eyes at her. "AND… you're brave and courageous."

" _The lion is, however, rarely heard - much more seldom seen_ ," Logan quoted, followed by 'John Hanning Speke'.

"Got any clever fox quotes?" she asked, always amazed by his extensive repertoire of quotations.

A broad mischievous smile spread across Logan's face, making her wonder if she was going to regret asking. " _The fox has many tricks. The hedgehog has but one. But that is the best of all._  - Ralph Waldo Emerson."

Veronica laughed and shook her head. "Nice triple play there," she replied, counting them off one at a time on her fingers. "My spirit animal… Sully's ridiculous nickname…  _AND_ a vague reference to my alma mater."

"I guess you're not the only one who's an overachiever," Logan quipped with a chuckle.

Veronica nodded and started walking down the path again with Logan joining her a second later.

"So do you have any interesting facts about foxes like you did the eagles?" she asked curiously. Not only was she intrigued by his never ending supply of quotes, but also by all the other bits of trivia he always seemed to know.

"Hmm… not so much about the animals themselves, but I did read an article about fox farming here on the island before my trip."

Veronica raised her eyebrows encouraging him to continue.

"There's actually an island in Alberton Harbor, a bit farther north than where we kayaked, that was used as a secret breeding location back in the early nineteen-hundreds for raising rare silver foxes. Eventually though the secret got out and there was a time when one in ten residents on the island were actually raising them. It got so crazy that they were actually selling options to buy and trading in futures on upcoming litters. The First World War and then the Depression brought most of the success to a halt, though. In addition to more animal rights activism as well, and the last farm shut down decades ago. The article said that in the early twenties the entire island had a musky, skunk-like smell because there were so many fox farms on the island."

Veronica squished up her nose at the thought of that—not only the smell, but all those poor foxes turned into coats.

Logan shrugged in understanding. "Different times, I guess. Now the only foxes on the island are the wild ones. At least we get to enjoy those."

"Yeah, they were terribly cute weren't they?"

"Yeah. I definitely have a certain fondness for frisky little bundles of mischief," he replied with a teasing wink.

* * *

After lunch, Logan had been all secretive again about their next destination. She wasn't sure what he was planning that would top the alpacas the day before. She'd been alternating between looking through the photos she'd taken on her camera and watching the scenery pass by, looking up whenever Logan would slow down to turn onto a different road to see if there were any clues about where they might be going next.

She let out a loud sigh as they passed a sign indicating the turn to a golf course was coming up. "Wait… was this a surprise for  _me_ or  _you_? Cuz I gotta tell ya, I haven't taken up golfing in the last five years and that really doesn't rank any where  _close_ to playing with alpacas. I thought you said I'd  _like_ your next surprise?"

"Chill out, Mars… I think I know you better than that," he teased in reply with a chuckle as he shook his head.

She couldn't help but smile thinking about how well he did know her. There was definitely something bittersweet about it, though. She'd tried dating multiple men over the past five years, but none of them had ever really gotten to know the real her. She'd probably been mostly to blame for that with her still lingering reluctance to let anyone get too close to her as a way to protect herself from getting hurt. Then there was the undeniable fact that she'd continuously—whether subconsciously or not at the time—compared them to Logan. How many times had something happened when she was dating someone and she'd think to herself:  _Logan would never have said or done that_. Logan was one of the few people who really knew her, and even if they hadn't been close in the last five years, he still knew the real her.

Moments later when they reached the next intersection, she felt a little jolt of adrenaline when he didn't flip on his turn signal in the direction of the golf course. He crossed the main road and headed toward a small lot with a sign that read Circle T Trail Rides. As Logan pulled in and parked next to a small red barn, she spotted several horses saddled up in a small paddock next to the barn.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her excitement before she spoke. "Do I get to ride a pony?" she asked giddily.

Logan laughed and nodded. "I think they just have  _horses_ , but I could see if they have a large pony for you if you'd like."

She suddenly found herself incapable of removing the huge grin that was on her face. "No need. A regular sized horse will do just fine."

"So better than  _golf_?" he asked with a sly grin as he turned off the car.

"Yes!" she replied loudly, practically bouncing in her seat.

She was pretty sure that the smile on his face must have been almost as large as the one on hers. "I'm glad you approve of my choice for this afternoon's activity. I sort of  _thought_ you might like it."

"Well, what are we waiting for? There's horsies that we could be petting instead of sitting here," she said excitedly as she opened her door and climbed out, earning a chuckle from Logan before he opened his own door to join her.

As she neared the paddock, a young man came around the sound of the barn to greet them. He definitely looked at home around the horses, dressed in faded jeans, a plaid shirt and cowboy boots, topped off with a western style hat.

"Mr. Echolls?" the man asked in Logan's direction.

"That'd be me," Logan replied, extending his hand to shake.

"Perfect. I'm Cody and I'll be your guide today. You spoke to my brother Pete on the phone. He said you were looking for a private tour so you could ask more questions and take a bit more time for an article you're doing, right?"

"Yeah, he wasn't sure if you'd be free, so I really appreciate the special last minute accommodation."

"Happy to oblige. Are you two experienced riders?" Cody asked, looking back and forth between Logan and Veronica.

Veronica started to vehemently shake her head as Logan let out a soft laugh. "I've had a fair share of time in the saddle, but my friend, Veronica, hasn't."

"No worries, I'll be sure to pick our mellowest horse for you then, Miss Veronica," Cody assured her with a small wink before he turned and headed for the paddock gate.

"Ready for some fun,  _Miss Veronica_?" Logan asked with a smirk.

"You betcha!" Veronica replied, too excited about riding a horse to even give him a bad time about teasing her.

* * *

"Petting alpacas and horsebacking riding on the beach are going to be awfully tough to beat," Veronica teased as they began their journey back to Charlottetown. She'd had an absolutely amazing afternoon riding out toward the ocean from the farm and then up the beach for quite a while, stopping at yet another small lighthouse before they headed back. They'd even ridden by the golf course that had been on the sign they'd passed on the road, and Logan had teased her about at least getting to see the course even if he didn't get to actually play on it.

"I do like a challenge," Logan countered with a smirk. "Although to be fair, I wasn't sure how long I'd be able to keep you, so wanted to be sure you got to do the horseback ride before you had to leave. I'm sure I'll think of some other activities you'll enjoy though."

"You don't have to pick activities just for me, though," she replied, feeling the need to state that even if she did appreciate him picking something he knew she'd enjoy. "We can go to a golf course next if you want. I'm supposed to be photographing things you need for your article versus just having a fun vacation myself."

"Who says you can't do both? It's actually been sort of nice to look at the island through your eyes." He paused and she thought when he started talking again he sounded almost a bit nervous. "There've been several places that I've visited where I've seen something that I thought you'd enjoy and wished you'd been there to share it with me."

"Really?" she asked, surprised by his admission that he'd thought about her on some of his other trips.

His lips curled into the tender smile she was all too familiar with from days long gone which always made her heart skip a beat as he nodded.

"Yeah… quite a few times actually," he admitted as he turned his attention back to the road.

"Like what?" she prodded, wanting to hear more about what had reminded him of her.

He let out a soft chuckle. "Well, a lot of them revolved around food."

She huffed out a surprised laugh gave him a playful punch to the shoulder.

"I'm really glad you were able to fly up here," he continued, sounding more serious than he did with his last comment. "I really missed you these last few years."

She let out a small contented sigh and nodded. "I've missed you too, Logan."

She wished she could admit just how many times she'd thought about him over those years, or to be completely honest and tell him how she wished they could actually be more than just friends again now. The past three days with him had been so absolutely wonderful. She knew they'd have to leave at some point, but she really didn't want it to end. But what would happen then? At least he'd mentioned taking her paddleboarding, so that gave her something to look forward to. If only she could work up the courage to be completely honest about how she felt. Maybe if she could just figure out how to phrase it the right way—somehow convey that if things didn't work out with him and Paisley that she'd be very open to the two of them giving a relationship another shot. It would definitely kill her, though, if he didn't feel the same way; so maybe it was better to just not say anything at all. Although perhaps, after another day or two, she'd work up the nerve to admit how she was really feeling. At least she could enjoy being alone here with him for a few more days before they had to head back to California and the real world, even if she didn't find the courage to tell him before they left.

"So speaking of  _food_ ," Logan started with a playful smile on his face. She quirked an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to continue. "I know we've done casual places so far, but there was a fancier place I'd like to try for dinner tonight. You um… you didn't happen to bring that red dress along, did you?"

Veronica laughed and shook her head. Apparently that dress made a bigger impact on him than she'd expected. She'd have to remember that if they went to dinner again sometime after this trip. Maybe that would help get the message across—send a subconscious signal to him. "No, but I did pack a nice dress just in case I needed it. Sadly, it's not red."

"Well, I guess it will have to do," he replied, clearly trying to feign disappointment just to tease her.

"Well if it doesn't meet your standards, you can just go alone and I'll order room service," she countered indignantly, flipping her hair and crossing her arms across her chest for extra emphasis while trying to keep a smirk off her face.

"The hotel does have an extensive room service menu," he offered. She could tell that he was trying to sound serious, but the way the side of his mouth quirked up in amusement betrayed his true intent.

Veronica gasped as if she was truly offended. "What? No offer to take me shopping for suitable attire? What ever will the other patrons say if you show up to dine alone?"

Logan chuckled and shook his head. "Are you insinuating that you'd like me to take you shopping for a new dress, Veronica? Because I seem to recall being banned from ever shopping with you after that disastrous afternoon on Rodeo Drive."

Veronica let out a real gasp and smacked his shoulder. "We were thirteen and you wanted Lilly and I to model lingerie for you!"

Logan reached up to rub at the spot where she'd hit him. "Come on… you do know Lilly put me up to that don't you?"

"What?" Veronica asked incredulously, although it really wasn't a stretch to imagine. "Of course she did," she added with an exasperated sigh.

"Well I wouldn't have protested if you'd agreed," he added, earning another smack from her.

"Perv," she teased as her lips curled up into a mischievous grin.

"What did you expect from a thirteen-year-old boy," Logan offered with a shrug.

"Perfect gentlemanly behavior?"

Logan's shoulders shook as he laughed. "From me? As a teen? It's a stretch for me even now on a good day!"

"Well you've been quite proper the past three days," she commended.

Logan faked an exaggerated gasp. "Maybe the virtuousness of PEI  _is_ wearing off on me!"

"Don't worry. I'm sure a few days back in California and you'll be cured of it," Veronica teased with a devilish grin. "Come spend some time in Neptune with me and I  _guarantee_ there's enough unwholesomeness there to restore you to your properly lecherous self."

* * *

"Hey, I was thinking that maybe you could give me some photography pointers—you know, in case I'm stuck without a photographer again and need to take some pictures myself," Logan commented as they walked into the hotel lobby.

"And ruin my chance to get invited along again?" she countered, exaggerating offense at the suggestion.

Logan laughed for a second before he continued. "So you'd be willing to come along on another trip with me?"

There was no hesitation in her emphatic response. "Absolutely!"

His face seemed to light up even more than it already had been at her answer, but as he glanced over her shoulder toward the check-in counter, the smile was quickly replaced with a puzzled frown.

"Paisley?" he said in surprise a second later, his attention focused entirely past Veronica.

"Hey you!" a female voice called out from the direction Logan was staring.

Veronica sucked in a deep breath, her heart practically beating out of her chest as she turned to see the woman—whom she clearly recognized from her online search—walking toward her and Logan.

"Perfect timing," Paisley purred as she closed the distance between her and Logan and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "We just got in."

Logan looked toward the check-in desk again, as did Veronica. Another tall brunette, who clearly resembled Paisley, gave Logan a little wave and quick hello. There were a number of suitcases piled up next to her, and Veronica immediately spotted a case for a very expensive brand of camera hanging off the pull-handle of one of the larger pieces of luggage.

"Hey, Paige," Logan replied looking questioningly back to Paisley as the desk clerk started talking to Paige again. "This is quite a surprise. What are you two doing here?"

"Well, I wrapped up my assignment in Pittsburgh and flew over to New York to see Paige. And since she was in between shoots, we decided to surprise you up here," Paisley explained with a huge smile on her face as she reached out to lace her fingers with Logan's.

"I thought you were supposed to do a story in DC when you were done in Pittsburgh," Logan asked, clearly shocked to have her show up here.

"Yeah… well I felt bad about having to bail on you so much lately, so I told Angelica that I wanted a few days off to come up to see you," she told him, earning a tender smile in return from Logan. "Spending some time with you was more important than chasing another story for her."

Veronica swallowed hard, her body reeling from finally having to see Logan with Paisley. She could still feel her heart beating rapidly and anxiety started coursing through her.

"And you must be Veronica," Paisley said, finally turning her attention to Veronica. "It's so nice to finally meet you."

"Yeah, you too," Veronica said, forcing herself to try to at least smile. She was pretty sure it wasn't terribly convincing, though.

Logan must have noticed something was off, as his forehead furrowed slightly.

"Hey, I hope you two haven't eaten yet. We're starving and we were hoping you'd be back soon," Paisley said, looking between Logan and Veronica.

"No, we um… we were just headed back here to change before we go to dinner," Logan explained, looking a little uneasily between Paisley and Veronica.

"Great!" Paisley replied enthusiastically, apparently not noticing anything off with Logan's demeanor. "Paige can check her stuff into her room and I can take my stuff up to your room while you get changed, and then we can all go to dinner."

Spending the rest of the evening with the three of them was the last thing on Earth Veronica wanted to do. "I um… I think I may just order room service and get caught up on some stuff for my dad. I promised to check in with him tonight, anyway," Veronica blurted out anxiously, earning a frown from Logan. Of course after their earlier teasing about room service in the car it seemed a bit awkward now, but she hoped he wouldn't make a big deal about it. "But you three should definitely still go."

"Are you sure?" Logan asked, a worried look on his face.

"Yeah," Veronica replied glancing quickly at the elevator that had just opened. "I'll um… I'll talk to you later," she added before giving them a quick wave and then making a hasty break for the still open door before Logan could press her anymore about it.

"Come on, babe, you can help me with my bags," Veronica heard Paisley say right before the elevator doors closed. Veronica turned around and banged her head against the cool metal door. It took her a second to realize the elevator wasn't moving because she hadn't pressed a button yet. She was thankful that the door hadn't opened again before she was able to hit the number for her floor—that would have just been icing on the cake.

How ironic that less than ten minutes before there had been no place she'd rather be than here with Logan. Now she wished she was anywhere but here. She took a deep breath as the door opened for her floor. She stepped out and started to quickly walk down the hall to her room.  _Is there actually any reason for me to stay?_


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes at the end this time.
> 
> Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.

 

Veronica heard her phone start to ring as she struggled to get the door unlocked. Of course it had to be buried in the depths of her bag. She started digging for it while she shut the door with her foot.

Once she finally pulled the phone from her bag, she saw Keith's name on the screen. She connected the call with her free thumb."Hey, Pops," she greeted a bit breathlessly "Surviving without me?"

"It's been touch and go, but  _miraculously_ I'm managing somehow," her dad teased in reply.

"Well, lucky for you, I may be coming home  _sooner_  than I first thought," she informed him as she tossed her bag on the nearest chair.

She heard him let out what sounded like a worried sigh before he spoke again. "Are things not going well there?"

"No, no," she quickly assured him. "I'm just wrapping this up quicker than I first expected."

"I see," he replied. She wasn't able to tell if there was a hint of disbelief in his tone or if something else might be bothering him. She honestly hadn't been expecting a call from him and wondered what had prompted it. It only took a few seconds for that revelation. "Logan stopped by the office today."

"Oh," she mumbled as she slumped down on the couch, now better understanding the reason for the unexpected call from her dad.

"Yeah, he came by to drop off the flash drive you left for him in Canada. He seemed a bit blindsided when I said you were still working up in San Francisco.  _Apparently_  he hadn't heard you took a job there."

"I guess I haven't talked to him since I agreed to the assignment so I haven't had a chance to tell him," she answered as nonchalantly as possible.

"Everything okay between the two of you?" Keith asked, his tone sounding unmistakably suspicious and fatherly.

"Yeah. Why? Did he say something?" she asked, suddenly worried about what Logan may have mentioned when he was there. She hoped the question wouldn't alert her dad to that fact though.

"No… it's just… I guess he seemed a bit more troubled by the news that you'd taken a job in the Bay Area and hadn't told him than I would have expected."

"It's just a  _temp_  job," she countered a bit abruptly, as if that excused her recent behavior.

"Well, I thought I'd let you know he stopped by today. I put the drive in the small pocket on the front of your camera bag."

"Thanks." She didn't mean to sound terse but realized it came out that way.

"Let me know when you're headed back, honey," her dad continued, sounding a bit less judgmental than he'd been moments before. "It will be nice to have you home again."

"Yeah, I will. Love you," she said softly as she picked at a stray thread on the edge of the couch.

"Love you too. Say hi to Mac for me."

"Will do. Bye, Dad."

She let out a loud sigh after her dad said goodbye and ended the call. She flipped open her text message window and scrolled down to the string of messages with Logan. Her last message to him was visible on the screen. ' _Sorry, just super busy_ ' was all she'd sent when he'd asked if everything was okay since he hadn't been able to reach her. His terse 'OK' had come through a short while later and then she hadn't heard from him since. She of course didn't blame him for not trying to reach out to her again since he'd left her several messages that she hadn't answered prior to that.

Her phone ringing again startled her slightly, and when she looked, she saw Sully's name flash across the screen. She debated for a second about whether she should answer or not.

"Hey there," she greeted when she finally decided to take the call.

"Ahhh, so it's just my sister and your ex who you're avoiding?" Sully blurted out in the obnoxious timbre she was all too familiar with. She could easily imagine expression that was most likely on his face.

"What?" she asked sounding flustered and slightly defensive; she hadn't expected him to start the call that way.

"Sabrina said she's called you a dozen times and you haven't answered or returned her calls."

Veronica let out a loud sigh. "She only called  _three_ times, Sully. And I've been super busy and just haven't had a chance to call her back yet." The incredulousness of what else he'd said suddenly dawned on her. "And why do  _you_ care whether or not I've talked to Logan. You don't even like him."

"What's going on, Vee? Why are you in San Francisco?"

Veronica growled quietly as she flopped onto her back on the couch. Apparently news traveled fast between Logan and Sterling. She was pretty sure at least that Logan hadn't been the one to tell Sully. Sabrina may or may not have been involved in the information getting to Sully, but either way it had.

"You remember Eleanor, right? From Emerson?" she asked. His dismissive 'uh, sure' made her roll her eyes and huff slightly before she continued. They'd all hung out on numerous occasions and on more than one she'd stumbled upon Sully making out with Eleanor. "Well she called and asked if I'd be interested in a job and I thought it would be good experience to put down on my resume, so—"

"Wait!" Sully interrupted a bit harshly. "You told me about that offer like four months ago and said there was no way in hell you'd take some lame-ass transcription job."

Veronica lifted her free hand up to rub at her temple. She'd forgotten she'd told Sully about the job at some point. "It's  _technical writing_ … not a transcription job and I'm pretty sure that's not  _exactly_ what I said."

"Well close enough. I know your plans for investigative journalism haven't been going quite as you expected, but I can't see why you'd want to take a job like that."

"I told you… it would look good as experience for other jobs... in the future."

"Why are you  _really_ in San Francisco,  _Veronica_?"

"For  _work_ ,  _Sully_."

"Bullshit,  _Veronica_."

Veronica clenched her jaw and ran her hand through her hair, staring at the ceiling instead of answering. If she'd known this was how the call was going to go, she would have just let it go to voicemail like she had the others. After a few seconds, she heard a long sigh come through the phone.

"Sabrina's worried you're not coming out for our big birthday celebration this coming weekend," he shared, sounding much less argumentative than seconds before.

"Yeah… with this job…" she started to say, although feeling guilty now that she knew she'd be done before the party Sabrina had left her three messages about.

"What's  _really_  going on? I know when you're lying, Vee, and right now brown goo is starting to ooze out of my phone."

"Gross," she replied with a disgusted chuckle.

Sully sighed again. "I know you bailed on Logan in Canada."

"I didn't ' _bail on him_ '. Something came up that I needed to go back to Neptune for," Veronica countered, sticking to the same lie she'd written down on the note she'd left at the reception desk for Logan. She was just grateful it didn't seem like Logan had asked her dad what urgent case had required her immediate return to Neptune, because she wasn't really sure that her dad would have covered for her.

"And now you're hiding out in San Francisco and avoiding everyone's calls?"

"I answered yours."

Another sigh came through the other end of the phone. "Aren't I  _special_?" Sully mumbled sarcastically.

"Only on odd-numbered days." She quipped before closing her eyes, suddenly having a flash of Déjà vu, but of a very different conversation.

"Was Logan an asshole in Canada?"

"What? No!" she answered emphatically. "He was…  _perfect_." She let out a sigh and shook her head, wishing she'd picked a different word, but Sully's unexpected question threw her off.

"If he was so  _perfect_ , then why did you flee in the middle of the night, leaving him a note at the front desk?"

"I didn't ' _flee in the middle of the night_ '."

"Okay, well maybe I didn't listen particularly well when Sabrina conveyed the story. But you still left without telling him you were going, didn't you?"

Veronica exhaled defeatedly. She obviously hadn't really stopped to consider all the ramifications of Logan and Sterling being good friends. Or maybe she'd just hoped that Logan wouldn't actually say anything about it.

"Fine. Paisley and her sister showed up and I may have overreacted a bit and decided to fly home while they were all at dinner. Happy now?"

"I'm never happy when you're upset, Vee."

Veronica let out a bitter laugh. "Well I was much happier  _before_ you made me tell you what really happened."

"Sorry."

"Mmhmm."

"So you not only fled Canada, but Neptune as well? And took a shitty job?"

"It's not that bad of a job… and it's only a temp job. I'm almost done actually."

"I thought you said you couldn't fly out for our birthday bash because you were ' _so busy with your job_ '?"

Veronica silently groaned to herself. "I just… I feel like a shitty friend because I can't get past my deep rooted jealousy that rears its ugly head when I see Logan with other women. I don't want to feel like that and I hoped I wouldn't, but I did. Maybe I just need more time to come to terms with it or something."

"Or  _maybe_ you just need to finally tell him how you feel."

"Nope, I'm pretty sure that will only make things worse." She paused for a second before continuing. "Paisley seems nice and I really don't want to cause any issues for them."

"Come and stay with me for the weekend. We'll go to all of the places you love to visit in Boston. I won't even complain when you drag me to that dreadful Italian food place you love so much. Sabrina's planning the party at some restaurant near her apartment and it sounds like there will be a lot of people there. We can stop by briefly just to make an appearance. Even if Logan and Paisley are there, we can certainly avoid them in a large room full of people."

"I don't know…"

"You know you'll have to eventually face him again, right? If you miss the wedding, Sabrina would be devastated. Baby steps, Vee. A few minutes at the same party as him isn't that tough. And I'll be there for moral support."

"Fine…"

"That's my girl! Text me the info after you book your flight so I can pick you up at the airport. See you soon."

Right as Veronica was saying goodbye she heard keys jingling outside the apartment door.

"Honey, I'm home!" Mac called out gleefully as she walked in with a smirk on her face.

"Darn it," Veronica replied snapping her fingers sarcastically as she sat up. "I forgot to start the pot roast, but I'll run and get your slippers and pipe."

Mac crinkled her nose in disgust at the pot roast comment, making Veronica chuckle. After setting her bag on the same chair next to Veronica's, she quirked an eyebrow and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You're coming out with me tonight, right? Dinner and drinks?"

Veronica exhaled loudly, staring at the phone in her hand.

"Come on, Bond," Mac cajoled as she went over and sat on the couch next to Veronica, bumping her shoulder into Veronica's. "It'll do you some good to let your hair down for a night. The new place is only a few blocks from here, and I've heard they have amazing vegan food as well as more than decent carnivorous options too."

"Well, I am sort of hungry…" Veronica replied, lacking much conviction in her tone.

"Of course you are," Mac replied with a teasing grin, causing Veronica to roll her eyes. "I deserve a night out after the crappy day I had, and as my houseguest, you're obligated to go with me."

Veronica laughed softly. "Well, if I'm  _obligated_."

"Damn right you are," Mac laughed in reply with a twinkle in her eye.

* * *

When Mac and Veronica arrived at the restaurant, there was already a wait for a table, so they had their name added and headed into the bar for drinks while they waited. The bar was fairly crowded as well, but they were fortunate enough that a minute after they walked in, a couple at the bar was informed that their table was ready and Mac and Veronica headed straight for the two newly vacated spots. Veronica was looking over the drink menu when she heard a male voice call out her name unexpectedly.

"Casey?" she said in surprise, realizing that Casey Gant was the one who had said her name from behind her.

"I thought that was you," Casey continued, a broad smile on his face. "It's so nice to see you again."

Veronica hopped off her stool and gave him a quick hug. "Yeah, you too. Wow, what are the odds of running into you here?"

Casey laughed and nodded in agreement. "Well I've heard rave reviews about the vegan food here and just had to try it when I came to town."

"You're a vegan?" Mac interjected suddenly, drawing Casey's attention to her. She looked slightly embarrassed by her outburst.

"Yeah… hey you look familiar…" Casey replied, studying Mac carefully. "Are you an actress?"

Mac let out a surprised laugh and shook her head vigorously. "Oh no, no, no! I went to Neptune High too, though."

"Oh, sorry," Casey continued apologetically and then added a 'Go Pirates', with a chuckle.

"Mac was in  _my_ class," Veronica explained. "So a grade below you."

Casey studied Mac more closely. She was wearing her hair much shorter than she had in highschool and didn't currently have any colored streaks. Her new look was definitely much more professional than her high school or college days.

"Wait, you helped me recover my files when my laptop died senior year."

"Yep, that's me," Mac replied, surprising Veronica with the shy smile that formed on her face.

"Mac's a computer genius," Veronica added, causing Mac to roll her eyes slightly and shake her head in disagreement. "What? You are!"

Before Mac could verbally disagree, the bartender stopped to ask what he could get for them. After Veronica asked for a glass of Merlot, Mac said she'd take a scotch on the rocks.

"I'll take one of those too," Casey added with a smile as he nodded in Mac's direction.

"Are you two just here for drinks, or dinner too?" Casey asked after the bartender disappeared to take care of their order.

"We're planning to eat too," Veronica answered, glancing at Mac who had an almost star-struck look on her face. "Would you like to join us?" Veronica asked, pretty sure based on Mac's expression that she wouldn't mind if Casey joined them.

"I'd love to… if that's okay?" Casey responded, looking back and forth between the two women.

"Of course," Mac quickly reassured him, her eyes twinkling with delight.

"Great… I'll go let them know there will be three of us. Be right back," Casey told the two women before turning and heading out of the bar.

"Crushing much?" Veronica teased as soon as Casey was gone.

"What?" Mac asked indignantly. "No."

Veronica laughed and shook her head. " _Right_."

They both thanked the bartender as he dropped off their drinks a second later.

"Want to place money on whether he also copies your  _meal_?" Veronica teased as she gestured to the glass of scotch for Casey.

Mac rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"They actually just had a table open up," Casey announced as he reappeared a minute later.

"Perfect timing," Mac replied as she picked up the second scotch and handed it to Casey. "I'm starving."

Veronica smirked as Casey gestured for the two women to lead the way back to the dining area.

"So are you both here for the vegan fare?" Casey asked once they were seated and had started looking over their menus.

"Oh, not me!" Veronica quickly answered, feeling a bit uneasy as soon as she'd said it. "While I have had some great vegan dishes with Mac, I'm just feeling a bit carnivorous tonight."

Veronica tried not to make an ' _I told you so_ ' face at Mac when Casey leaned closer to her and started asking Mac's opinions on the various vegan menu options. She did catch Mac shooting her a warning glance when Casey wasn't looking, so she was obviously thinking about Veronica's earlier comment as well.

"So, I really loved the pictures you took for Logan's Canada article," Casey shared after their waiter had come and taken their orders. "He was certainly very happy with them too."

Mac's eyes widened as she looked at Veronica. "Logan  _Echolls_?"

Veronica reflexively grimaced a bit and nodded. She hadn't brought Logan up with Mac at all.

"Yeah, Veronica filled in for one of our regular photographers for Logan's piece on Prince Edward Island in Canada. I was really impressed with your work. In fact, if you'd like to do some other photo shoots for us, I'm sure I could easily find you some assignments."

"Wow, I'm… umm... flattered," Veronica answered a bit hesitantly. Ever since fleeing from Canada, she hadn't been sure what she really wanted to do anymore. Taking this temp job got her out of Neptune for a while, but it certainly hadn't helped her figure out what she wanted to do going forward. She almost felt foolish now thinking back to how she'd briefly thought traveling around with Logan taking pictures while he wrote articles could possibly be in her future.

"And Logan may need another photographer soon too," Casey continued, perhaps not noticing her hesitation, but she knew by the look on Mac's face that she would be getting questions later. "He called me this afternoon to pitch a trip to Peru. Sounded like he was going to head down there in the next day or two just to scout it out for a while though since he wasn't sure what specific area he wanted to focus on. Or at least that was his excuse to take off. I guess I should be grateful that he owns his own plane and when he gets in one of his moods to disappear for a while that he doesn't bill that to the magazine."

Veronica felt a tightness in her chest wondering what ' _moods_ ' Casey was referring to and how often that happened. She certainly didn't feel like it was her place to ask though. She wondered if that meant that Logan wouldn't be in Boston next weekend for the big birthday celebration. She wasn't sure if she was relieved by that prospect or disappointed.

"Maybe when he gets things sorted out, you could fly down and take pictures for him there," Casey added with an encouraging smile.

"Maybe…" Veronica replied, not sure at this point that Logan would want her to be the one to go.

"How about you, Mac? Have you had the chance to travel much?" Casey asked, turning his attention back to Mac.

Mac chuckled a bit nervously and shook her head. "Well not to any exotic places at least. My parents were big on family road trips though, so I think I've been to something like thirty-five of the contiguous states. We did drive up into Canada a couple of times too, but not as far as PEI," she explained, shooting a quick glance at Veronica.

_Yeah, I'm definitely in for a grilling later_.

A warm smile formed on Casey's face before he spoke again. "I always thought it would be fun to travel around in one of those RV things and see the country."

Mac laughed and shook her head. "Take it from me… it's not as fun as it looks. I'd take a five-star hotel any day versus being trapped in a small metal box with my parents and annoying little brother."

* * *

When they'd mentioned that they'd walked from Mac's apartment to the restaurant, Casey had offered them a ride home after dinner. Veronica had enjoyed watching the two of them getting to know each other better over dinner. She noticed several subtle little hints that Casey seemed as smitten by Mac as she seemed to be about him. He'd let them know that he'd be in town for a couple more nights before heading back to LA and suggested they have dinner again before he left. Even though the invitation was given to both of them, she sort of doubted either would mind if she couldn't make it. She also secretly hoped that the rest of the evening with Casey had erased the earlier mention of Logan from Mac's mind because she really didn't feel like talking about that situation anymore that day.

"So, that was fun," Veronica announced once they'd walked into Mac's apartment. "How great was it that we ran into Casey there. You two really seemed to hit it off."

A shy grin formed on Mac's face as she nodded in agreement. "I'm a little surprised he remembered me from all those years ago. We didn't exactly interact much at Neptune High."

"That's because you make a lasting impression on everyone you meet," Veronica countered. "You're brilliance and quirky personality make you unforgettable."

"I don't know about that," Mac laughed as she slipped out of her jacket.

"Well, it's true," Veronica replied as she started pulling cushions off the couch to pull out the sleeper bed she'd been using for the past week. She really appreciated Mac letting her crash with her so she didn't have to fork out money for a hotel while she was there working. She'd already thanked her profusely for her hospitality on more than one occasion.

The smile on Mac's face morphed to a more serious look and Veronica tried to circumvent what she was expecting to come next by yawning loudly and stretching. "I think I'm ready to hit the hay. I said I'd be in a little earlier tomorrow to try to wrap up this assignment sooner than they originally estimated."

"Mm hmm," Mac replied skeptically. "You're way of saying you don't want to talk about Logan?"

Veronica gave her an innocent look as she pulled out the sleeper bed. "What? No. There's just nothing to talk about."

"I suspected something was going on when you first called, and then it seemed more obvious once you got here, but I wasn't sure whether I should push you about it. So I didn't."

Veronica let out a sigh and shook her head. "There's nothing going on, Mac."

"If there  _was_ … you could talk to me about it, okay?" Mac told her with a supportive smile. "I didn't even know you've been in touch with him."

Veronica slumped down on the edge of the sofa bed and exhaled loudly. "He's actually good friends with the guy Sabrina's marrying… his best man in fact. I found out earlier this summer when I flew out for their engagement party."

A surprised look formed on Mac's face. "I haven't seen him since Hearst. Sounds like he's doing well?"

"Yeah," Veronica nodded, feeling a little less uncomfortable than she had earlier with the thought of talking to Mac about him. "He writes travel articles for one of Casey's magazines."

"That sounds fun."

Veronica smiled and nodded again. "Yeah… he gets to travel all over and visit interesting places."

"It must not have been too awkward running into him again if you also went to Canada with him to take photos for the article."

"No… we've gotten along really well. It just.. It got awkward when his girlfriend showed up," Veronica admitted reluctantly.

"Ah," Mac said, nodding knowingly. "Yeah… I could imagine that would be a bit awkward."

"Yeah… I mean, I wasn't expecting anything, you know… It's just… still difficult."

"Oh, I totally get it. I never told you about ending up in a group with Bronson in a class Junior year… Bronson  _and_ his girlfriend. We had to break into groups on the first day to do a project that lasted the entire term and the girl next to me asked if I wanted to be in a group with her and her boyfriend—who inconveniently was sick that first day of class—and I unwittingly agreed. So yeah… that was a lot of fun when they walked into class the next day holding hands."

Veronica grimaced, imagining how uncomfortable that would have been if it had been her in Mac's place and Logan in Bronson's.

Mac shrugged before she continued. "Neither of us told her either. I think that probably would have made the situation even worse. Does Logan's girlfriend know about the two of you?"

"I don't think so," Veronica replied thoughtfully. "She seemed pretty cool with me being there in Canada with him. I know I certainly wouldn't be as nonchalant about it if I was in the same situation, but maybe that's part of what's wrong with me."

"There's nothing wrong with you," Mac assured her as she sat down on the bed next to her and put her arm around Veronica's shoulders. "I was honestly amazed at how well you handled the whole Parker/Logan situation at Hearst."

"Oh yes. Parker and Logan, Hannah and Logan, Lilly and Logan...Kendall and Logan. I'm practically an expert at watching Logan with other girls." Veronica let out a bitter chuckle and shook her head. "I think I've just conditioned myself to do my damndest to not let any exes realize how much it bothers me to see them with other girls. Doesn't mean I want to do it again, though."

Mac squished up her face with an apologetic expression. "Duncan and Meg, too?"

Veronica sighed and nodded. "Yeah… I think it started with that for sure. But that was when I thought I still had feelings for Duncan."

"So you must still have feelings for Logan now," Mac deduced with a sympathetic look.

Veronica shrugged and sighed again. "Yeah… I do."

"I'm sorry the timing of that revelation sucks."

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

Given the insanely early time that she had to leave to catch her flight, Veronica opened her bedroom door as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake her dad. She froze in her tracks for a moment when she saw that the kitchen light was already on. A smile spread across her face as she heard the toaster pop up and then the sound of a plate scooting on the counter.

"Well this is quite a nice surprise," she announced as she pulled her suitcase over to set it near the front door.

Keith gave her a broad smile and nodded. "Well, since I only got a few precious hours with you before you run off, I thought I'd at least get up to feed you before you abandon me once again."

Veronica scoffed at him. "It was a whole day and a half," she corrected as she walked into the kitchen and placed a kiss on his cheek before continuing on her way to grab a bottle of juice out of the fridge.

"Yeah, yeah… I guess I should just be grateful to be a detour on your trip from San Francisco to Boston."

"Exactly," she agreed with a smug grin and a quick nod. "And it's just for the weekend. I fly home Sunday night and then we can have a big daddy-daughter day for my birthday on Monday."

"Monday?" he asked, giving her an overly-exaggerated puzzled look. "That can't be right… I thought you were born in September?"

"Hardy har har," Veronica countered as she narrowed her eyes at him. "You already promised to take me to the zoo and buy me all the ice cream I could eat!"

Keith scrunched up his face. "I do recall mentioning the zoo… but I think you're embellishing about the ice cream."

Veronica sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Can't blame a girl for trying. Maybe it will work on Sully."

Keith laughed and nodded in agreement as Veronica checked her watch.

"I'd better get going so I can get my bag checked in on time. Thanks for the toast!" Veronica told him as she snagged the two pieces he'd just finished buttering, earning another chuckle from him. "I'll see you Sunday night."

"Have a good flight sweetheart," he told her, kissing her temple before she turned and headed to the door.

Her mood on the drive to the airport was definitely much different than when she'd flown out last time to meet Logan in Canada. Even though she was looking forward to spending a couple of days with Sully, she wasn't feeling even halfway close to the level of excitement she'd felt when she flew up to Prince Edward Island. And the prospect of flying for over seven hours with a connection in Salt Lake City had her even less enthused about how her day might go. She'd at least been able to secure window seats for all legs of her journey, and she was holding out hope that the middle seats that were empty when she booked the flights would remain that way.

Unfortunately the empty seat on the flight from San Diego to Salt Lake was filled by a very chatty young woman who spent most of the flight sharing way more of her life story than Veronica ever wanted to know. She wasn't even deterred by the fact that Veronica kept checking her watch to see how much longer she had to endure listening to her. After that dreadful experience, she was even more thankful when no one took the middle seat for the next leg of her journey.

By the time her flight finally landed in Boston, she was looking forward to getting a drink and dinner with Sully—definitely a strong drink. The turbulence hadn't been as bad as the flights to and from Canada had been, but there'd been more tossing and bouncing than she would have preferred. Of course every time the plane would start shaking again, she'd think about how wonderful of a pilot Logan had been which would unfortunately lead her to thinking how disappointed she was with their current state of affairs. It didn't help that she was flying into Logan International Airport and several times throughout the day had that lovely reminder tossed at her.

Veronica texted Sully as she was waiting for her turn to disembark to let him know the plane had landed and that she'd meet him by the baggage carousel. Once she was off the plane, she kept glancing down at her phone while she rode the elevator down to the baggage claim area. She was a little concerned that he hadn't texted back yet, but knowing Sully, he was probably running late and wasn't able to type out a reply if he was still driving. She'd texted him during her very brief layover in Salt Lake City and he'd promptly texted back then that he'd see her in a few hours when she landed in Boston. If something had come up, she would have expected to have a message waiting when she landed, so she assumed he was just stuck in traffic if he hadn't left his apartment early enough. And Sully never seemed to leave on time.

There was still no reply back when she finally reached the luggage carousel, so she focused on watching for her bag and decided she'd find a quiet corner to call him if he hadn't replied by the time she retrieved her suitcase. She finally spotted her bag and started to reach for it as someone else's hand moved into her peripheral vision reaching for it as well.

"Can I help you with that?" an all too familiar voice asked, causing her chest to tighten.

She pulled her hand away as she turned to see a pair of apprehensive brown eyes staring back at her.

"Logan?"

* * *

**_A/N - I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I personally really liked it even if Logan wasn't actually in it. But you can all rest easy knowing he'll be in the next one at least. I guess I should apologize for leaving it the way that I did._ **

**_I hope you all have a Happy Holiday season if I don't get another update posted before the end of the year. Thanks for reading and while you're here at the end feel free to leave me a quick comment! I really do enjoy hearing from you all._ **

**_And once again, thanks to my wonderful beta Bondopoulos!_ **


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year all you wonderful LoVe/VM fans! I hope you all had wonderful holidays. I at least found enough time to finish this chapter before heading back to work again tomorrow. I was really hoping to get more writing done over my holiday break, but real-life was just too busy. The last few updates have been faster than when I started this, and I'm afraid it might go back to being a bit longer between postings, but wanted to give this to you all as a Holiday/New Year gift. I can't wait to read everyone's reviews. I really do love hearing from everyone.
> 
> And as always, thanks to my wonderful beta Bondopoulos!
> 
> Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.

Veronica couldn't help but blink in disbelief as she stood there watching Logan pull her suitcase off of the carousel.

"Any others?" Logan asked, his tone very somber with a hint of uncertainty.

She shook her head in reply, receiving a curt nod from Logan in return. All she could seem to do was stand there and stare at him while he pulled the extending handle out for her suitcase. She was completely shocked to see him there and wasn't quite sure what to do or say. Her moment of feeling frozen in time was quickly interrupted by a man that was trying to reach his own bag as he bumped into her and quickly apologized.

Logan gestured with his head to motion for her to move away from the luggage carousel and she reluctantly started to walk in the direction he indicated.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were in Peru?" she asked, finally finding her voice.

Logan let out what sounded like a bitter scoff. "It's nice to know you've talked to Casey even though you were too busy to take my calls."

"I didn't… I ran into him in San Francisco," she explained, stopping a few feet away from a large group of people who were standing in front of an empty carousel, obviously waiting for their flight's luggage to also be unloaded.

"Ah right… another thing you didn't share with me," Logan mumbled, frustration evident in the way he set his jaw. After a deep sigh, he shook his head and continued. "Sorry, this wasn't how I wanted this conversation to go."

"And  _what_  conversationis this?" she asked, instinctively crossing her arms over her chest. Suddenly she couldn't help but feel extremely defensive.

"The conversation where I find out what I did to make you so angry with me," he countered, catching her a bit off guard.

"I'm not—" she started to protest before he began talking again.

"I thought we were having a great time in Canada and then you vanished and wouldn't even return my calls," he continued, agitation evident in his tone. "I just… can you please tell me what I did so I can fix it… or apologize… or do whatever it takes to make you  _not_ mad at me?"

"Why do you think  _you_ did something?" she asked, suddenly realizing his frustration was with himself and not her. "Because you didn't."

"History would suggest otherwise."

"History's not always right," she retorted, feeling the need to get out of there before things got too out of hand. This certainly wasn't the conversation she wanted to be having either. She quickly started glancing back and forth between the nearest exits. "Sully was supposed to pick me up," she muttered, wondering where on earth he was.

"Yeah, ummm… sorry, but he's not coming," Logan explained, his frown deepening.

_How clueless are you, Veronica? Of course he's not coming._ She couldn't help but let out a sigh.

"I convinced him to let me come and pick you up, so I could try to get you to talk to me so I could find out what's going on with us."

"There's  _nothing_ going on with us, Logan," she huffed out, feeling deflated. This certainly was not the way she wanted her visit to start. She was definitely going to have a few choice words for Sully when she finally saw him. "So you're taking me to his apartment then?"

Logan nodded in reply and gestured to one of the exits, his shoulders slumping as a defeated look starting to overtake him.

She followed him through the lot of cars since she had no idea where they were going. As Logan clicked off the car's alarm, Veronica recognized it as the SUV that Sterling was driving during their last visit. She continued to the passenger door while Logan opened the back for her suitcase. As she climbed into her seat she was already bracing herself for an uncomfortable ride to Sully's place. She cautioned a glance in Logan's direction as he sat down in the driver's seat and could see that his jaw was tightly clenched.

"I appreciate the lift," she tried, hoping that might alleviate some of their current awkwardness.

When Logan turned toward her, she could clearly see the anguish in his eyes. "I've known you for too long not to know when something's wrong, Veronica," he told her as he started fidgeting with the keys he had yet to insert into the ignition. "You have no idea how amazing it was to have you back in my life. Things seemed to be going so well. And then you  _vanished_ … just like back at Hearst," he continued, almost choking up a bit at the end. "And I started to feel almost as gutted as I did then." After a brief pause, he chuckled bitterly before starting again. "But at least then I  _knew_ what I did to fuck things up... but now?  _Please_ talk to me about what's really going on. I thought we were friends again."

"We are," she replied, sucking in a shaky breath. She hadn't meant to hurt him the way she could now tell that she had. "I'm just… I'm not that good at it Logan."

By the way he furrowed his brows, it was easy to tell that he had no idea what she was trying to say.

"It's just… I thought I could be friends, but now I'm not sure that I can."

"I didn't realize being friends with me was so  _difficult_ ," Logan retorted, his tone taking on that edge it used to get right before he started berating himself. "I'll be sure to just stay the hell out of your life then."

"No," she said shaking her head, tears start to well up in her eyes. She suddenly realized that if she didn't fix this now then she may really lose him from her life forever. She took a deep breath to steady herself to admit what she should have told him weeks before. "I can't figure out how to be  _just_ friends with you when I still feel so much more."

"What?" he asked, confusion washing over his face.

"I'm sure in time, I'll figure it out. I really didn't mean to hurt you. That was the last thing I wanted to do, Logan. I'm just… I guess I'm not as indifferent to you as you are to me."

Logan let out a shocked huff as he blinked a couple of times. " _Indifferent_?"

"Well you clearly didn't have any qualms about pushing me into double dates with Preston or Casey," she shared as explanation. She clearly hadn't been able to push the thoughts of those suggestions out of her mind.

"I didn't think..." Logan continued shaking his head as if he was still having a hard time processing what she'd just said.

"And I didn't want to cause any issues for you and Paisley," she admitted, finally getting to the real heart of the matter.

"Oh," he replied, blinking suddenly as if he'd completely forgotten he had a girlfriend or something. "Right, Paisley. We um… we broke up."

"You did?"

"Yeah," he answered, nodding slowly.

"Why?" she asked, torn between feeling relieved and hoping it wasn't because of her.

"She um… she took a job in New York. She actually accepted it before she came up to Canada but didn't tell me until we got back. She asked me to move back there with her, but I didn't want to leave California." He paused for a moment and took a deep breath before continuing. "What matters most to me is there."

"It is?" she asked barely above a whisper, desperately hoping he meant her but afraid of getting her heart broken if it wasn't.

"Well right now  _it's_ in Massachusetts, but usually it's in California," he replied, a faint smile appearing for the first time since she'd landed.

"Your plane?" she quipped quietly with a tender smile.

His smile grew even wider as he shook his head. He slowly reached up and pushed a stray tendril of hair away from her forehead, letting his fingers lightly stroke the side of her head. "Smaller and blonder than my plane," he replied, staring intently at her.

"Hmmm… small and blonde? Sounds familiar," she countered, biting slightly on her lower lip when she was done.

He nodded, his gaze seeming even more intense as he moved his head slowly toward hers. She didn't hesitate to close the distance so there wouldn't be any doubt in his mind if he was doing the right thing. She closed her eyes when their lips finally touched, relishing in the bliss that washed over her. His hand was still cupping the side of her head and she felt his fingers gently caress her cheek as they kissed. It felt so familiar and right. Like she'd finally made it back to that perfect place where she feared she'd never be able to find again. Even if the kiss was fairly chaste it still sent a wave of warmth coursing through her entire body.

She slowly opened her eyes when Logan finally pulled away and found him still looking intently into her eyes. His smile seemed a bit hesitant, as if he was worried about how she was going to react next.

"You have no idea how many times I wished you'd do that over the past few weeks," she told him, smiling coyly up at him. Her admission seemed to relieve whatever concern he may have had and she could see that his expression instantly became more relaxed.

"You have no idea how many times I had to  _stop_ myself from doing that over the past few weeks," he countered back with a sly grin.

She let out a soft laugh, not expecting him to feel the same way at all. "Did all the anticipation leave you disappointed?" she asked teasingly.

He huffed out a short laugh before shaking his head. "Absolutely not. You?"

She bit on her lip and shook her head as well.

He made a show of being relieved, before bobbing his eyebrows and leaning in for another kiss that was noticeably less chaste. This time when he pulled away, he exhaled slowly, clearly insinuating that he hadn't wanted to stop.

"So will you let me take you to dinner, or should we head to Sully's? I'm sure he's probably anxiously waiting to hear from you."

Even though she was glad with how things were turning out, she hadn't forgotten Sully's little act of deception. "Maybe he deserves to squirm for a while," she suggested with a mischievous grin.

"Well, you shouldn't be too hard on him," Logan countered, causing Veronica to widen her eyes in surprise. "I can be pretty convincing when I want to be. Maybe we should invite him to dinner with us?"

"Really? But you two… you don't... you know… get along very well," she stuttered out in reply.

Logan faked a gasp and put his hand to his chest. "But we're fellow groomsmen! Isn't there some sort of long standing tradition that fellow groomsmen are as close as brothers in arms?"

Veronica practically snorted as she laughed at the thought. Logan's face lit up even more seeing her reaction.

"I know he really wants to see you, too," Logan shared, smiling tenderly at her. "Let's go get him, get some food and then figure out what to do with the rest of our evening, okay?"

"You know I'd never argue about food," she agreed, amazed not only by everything that had just happened, but genuinely touched that Logan was willing to include Sully for her.

* * *

About half way to Sully's apartment, when traffic had thinned out a bit, Logan casually reached over and took her hand with his, bringing it up for a tender kiss.

"Had to keep myself from doing that several times in Canada too," he admitted shyly as he set their hands on the console between their seats, tangling his fingers with hers. He stole a quick glance at her, before focusing on the road again. His mischievous grin, though, suggested there was more that he wasn't sharing.

_He should know better than to tempt me._  "What  _else_ did you have to keep yourself from doing?" she inquired challengingly.

He let out a soft chuckle while he shook his head slightly and she wondered if he was going to refuse to share.

"Well I'm sure you didn't expect me to actually be in your room before you got out of bed, so I'm not saying you picked the skimpiest, lightest-weight tank top you own to sleep in… but if that was intentional it was awfully cruel."

"What?" she gasped, trying to think back to what she'd slept in that first night. Suddenly his odd behavior and speedy exit that morning made a lot more sense. She hadn't even thought it could have been something like that when it happened.

He chuckled again and gently squeezed her hand. "Glad to know it wasn't intentional then."

"Of course not," she laughed. "I thought you were acting strange that morning though. Now I understand why."

"I  _definitely_ had to work at staying out of trouble," he confessed with a slight smirk. "But it was worth it to get to spend the time with you."

She sighed blissfully, thinking back to all the good moments during their trip. "I'm so glad we got to enjoy as much as we did." She paused a moment, working up the courage to continue. "I'm sorry I left like I did… it was just… it was a bit overwhelming when Paisley showed up unexpectedly."

Logan glanced over at her momentarily, a small frown on his face. "So there wasn't an urgent case thing you had to go back for?"

She shook her head and gave him a sad apologetic smile. "No… I'm sorry I lied."

"Hey… I'm glad you're telling me now," he told her reassuringly, lifting her hand up to kiss it again. "I sort of suspected something was going on—clearly not the Paisley part of it—and it really means a lot to me that you're willing to be so honest about it now. I just figured I'd done something unintentionally that had upset you. For the life of me though, I couldn't figure out what it might have been."

"Well in a way it  _was_ your fault for being so charming and irresistible," she teased coyly.

"Being charming and irresistible  _definitely_ never came to my mind as the reason you were avoiding me," he laughed. "In the past it was generally due to me acting completely the opposite of that."

"Gotta keep you on your toes," she countered jokingly.

"You certainly do that," he agreed with a snicker. He paused while he checked traffic to change lanes. "So… this job of yours in San Francisco?"

"Oh… it was just a temp job," she shared, wondering how much he had heard through their mutual acquaintances.

"Ah… I wasn't sure. I didn't feel like I should press your dad for details. I was definitely surprised when he said you were up there, though."

"Yeah… I was staying with Mac while I was there. I was actually with her when I ran into Casey. You should have seen the two of them crushing on each other at dinner," she dished with a sly grin.

Logan briefly glanced over at her with raised brows. "So  _that's_ why he scheduled more time in the Bay Area. I was hoping it  _wasn't_ to spend more time with you," he confessed sounding a bit sheepish about it.

"What is this? Jealous?" she teased as she bit on her lower lip.

Logan chuckled softly and shook his head. " _Nooooo…_  jealous would involve piano wire."

She laughed loudly and tossed her head back against the seat. "I can't believe you remembered that!"

He lifted up her hand again and pressed another kiss to it. "I suppose I wasn't quite sure if you were going to use the piano wire on  _them_ or  _me_ … so I guess it stuck with me," he told her as his lip curled up into a delightfully devious smirk.

"Kept you up at night didn't it?" she asked in reply, her own smile turning up into a mischievous grin.

"Oh yeah… thinking about you  _definitely_ kept me  _up_ at night," he shared with a salacious wink.

She huffed out a laugh and shook her head.

"And not just back then," he added as he bobbed his eyebrows.

"Mmm…. so…" she started, clearing her throat as if to change topics. "Are you staying with Sabrina and Sterling this weekend?"

She watched as his shoulders shook while he laughed quietly in response to her not so subtle inquiry into where he'd be staying.

"Nope," he answered, loudly popping the 'p'. "I rented a room at the Ritz-Carlton. Sabrina had already invited McKinley to come stay in their guest room for the weekend. I turned down their offer to use the pull-out sofa."

He turned on his blinker to pull into the parking lot at Sully's apartment building. After taking one of the visitor spots, he turned off the engine and turned toward her. She didn't hesitate to lean in and close the distance between them, capturing his lips in a kiss that quickly started getting much less chaste than the ones they'd shared before they left the airport.

"Maybe we should just go check out the room service at the Ritz?" she suggested coyly when they finally pulled apart.

"Mmmm…. While that's extremely tempting, I  _promised_ Sully I'd bring you back here," he admitted, sounding a bit chagrined.

She leaned away from him slightly, eyes widening in disbelief. "What?" she asked incredulously, shocked that he'd still choose Sully's interests over her own.

"I'm  _trying_ to get along better with him… for  _you_ …  _soooo_ ," he paused and gestured with his head toward the apartment building. " _Shall we_?"

She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing him a bit more. He gave her an uneasy look before he started speaking again.

"He wasn't thrilled about the idea of me going to get you at the airport. It was actually pretty hard to convince him. I'm a little worried about what sort of drastic actions he might take if he thinks I coerced you into anything," he admitted with a sigh.

"Well he  _can_ go overboard with the dramatics," she agreed, trying to sound more understanding than she was moments before. "I guess we'll just have to  _show_ him that you haven't coerced me into anything," she added flirtatiously.

He smirked and bobbed his eyebrows. "Sounds like fun."

"Definitely," she replied, leaning in to kiss him again before opening her door to climb out.

"So, should I grab your bag to take upstairs?" he asked as he rounded the back of the SUV. His tone already hinting at what he expected her answer to be.

"Nah… we can bring it up later," she replied guilefully, knowing full well that it most definitely would not be going up to Sully's place.

* * *

When they reached Sully's door, Logan was about to knock, when Veronica pulled down his hand.

"Can we just…" she started, receiving a confused look from Logan. "I just… can you stand over to the side for a few seconds?"

" _Okay…_ " he replied, a curious look on his face.

Veronica knocked and crossed her arms across her chest, schooling her face into her best furious expression.

"How could you!" she blurted out the second Sully opened the door.

"I…I..." he started to stammer out.

"Why on earth would you think sending Logan to get me was a good idea?"

"I thought… he was so determined to fix things…" Sully continued, his brows furrowing in distress.

The look of sheer horror was satisfaction enough and hopefully it would at least make him think twice before trying to go behind her back again.

"I'm just teasing," she admitted as she reached over to where Logan was standing and pulled him toward her, linking their hands together. "But don't ever try a stunt like that again!"

Sully let out a relieved sigh and shook his head. "You had me there for a second, Vee."

"Good," she replied firmly with a scolding scowl, walking past Sully into the apartment "You're just lucky that Logan felt obligated to keep up his end of your 'deal' or you'd be sitting here stewing about it for much longer."

"Thanks, man," Sully told Logan with a humble nod.

"So… dinner?" Veronica inquired, looking between the two guys. "I'm pretty sure Sully promised to buy me dinner tonight, so it's only fair that extends to Logan too," she added as she started pulling Logan back out the door.  _The sooner we eat, the sooner I get to be alone with him._

Sully chuckled from behind her. "Let me grab my jacket and make sure I have my wallet in that case. You know you could have just called me from the car and saved yourselves a trip up here?"

"But that wouldn't have been as much fun. We'll hold the elevator for you," Veronica called over her shoulder to Sully, as she and Logan started to head down the hall. She smiled up at Logan who had a very amused smirk on his face.

"I'm glad you weren't too hard on him," Logan teased as he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her temple when she stopped by the elevator doors.

"Well, I can't honestly say that I'm not glad we had the chance to talk and get everything out in the open. Especially after how worried I'd been about how it might turn out if we actually did."

He cocked his head in a slightly puzzled fashion before nodding hesitantly. "So that's a good thing, right?"

She laughed softly and nodded before lifting up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the lips. "Yes… it's a very good thing."

"Good," he replied, moving his free hand up to her head and pulling her in for a slightly more ardent kiss.

The sound of Sully clearing his throat caused them both to stop and laugh slightly before turning to him.

"Found my wallet," he announced with a smirk as he waved it around in the air. "You know—if you two want to just go ahead without me—I'd understand."

"And let you get out of buying us dinner? Not a chance!" Veronica informed him, causing Logan to stifle a laugh. "We'll drop you off after we eat though—or you can take a cab."

"I could just send cash," he countered with a sly grin.

Veronica tilted her head to make a show of thinking over the offer. "Nah… I came out to see you too. It is your birthday tomorrow after all. It'd be poor form to leave you here all alone."

"Maggiano's then?"

"Since you're paying, I was thinking Sorellina's," Veronica informed him smugly.

"Of course you were," Sully sighed, trying to act put out by the suggestion. "I'd better call on the way to the car to make a reservation then."

* * *

They'd only driven a couple blocks from Sully's apartment when Veronica heard Sully's phone ping. Then it began pinging every thirty seconds or so from his spot in the back seat.

"You're awfully popular," she teased him over her shoulder.

"Um… yeah…" he answered, sounding a bit distracted while he typed a reply to someone.

Veronica frowned slightly, but turned back to the front to let him finish whatever he was doing. It was less than thirty seconds later when her own cell phone chimed and she pulled it out of her bag to see who had texted her.

"SULLY!" she yelled as she saw the picture Sabrina had sent her. Obviously a picture Sully had taken of her and Logan kissing by the elevator before he'd interrupted them. Sabrina had added a big wide eyed emoji to it. "What the hell, dude!"

Logan shot a slightly concerned look in her direction as he pulled the car to a stop at a red light. Veronica held the phone up so he could see the picture, his eyes widening in surprise before a small smirk formed on his lips.

"Oh come on," Sully chided from the backseat. "You  _do_ know me. You can't really claim to be all that surprised. I thought Sabrina would enjoy photographic proof rather than me just telling her."

"You didn't have to tell her at all, you know!" Veronica scolded with a frown.

"Well if you were trying to keep  _this..._ " Sully gestured between Logan and Veronica as he spoke, "a secret, you shouldn't have been making out in the hallway."

"It was just a kiss," Veronica fired back. "And we're not keeping  _this_ a secret… right?" she asked, looking at Logan for confirmation.

"Nope," he quickly replied, the smile on his face growing even larger as he shook his head. "I could take out a full page ad in the Boston Globe if you'd like. Announce to everyone that I'm yours."

Veronica scoffed and shook her head. "That's really not necessary."

"Might be fun though," Sully interjected from the back seat.

"Sully!" Veronica scolded again, turning around to glare at him.

"What? I'm just supporting my buddy Logan," he countered as he reached up and patted Logan on the shoulder.

Veronica rolled her eyes and shook her head at Sully, while Logan chuckled and went back to focusing on the traffic that was moving again.

"Sabrina also texted that she and Sterling were going to a new club that's pretty close to the hotel Logan's staying at—if we wanted to join them there after dinner," Sully shared, glancing at his phone again.

Logan shot a quick glance at Veronica and shrugged slightly. "Up to you," he said softly.

"I suppose it might be better to deal with her tonight, rather than having to deal with her reaction in front of a room full of people at the birthday party tomorrow night," Veronica pondered out loud.

"That almost sounds  _ominous_ ," Logan stated, a slight frown forming on his face.

"Oh no, not  _ominous_ ," Veronica reassured him as she reached over and squeezed his arm. "I'm worried about how  _excited_ she can get over things like this. And Sabrina doesn't do subtle." She paused and shot a glare back at Sully again. "Neither of you do  _subtle_ very well!"

"Must be in our genes," Sully offered with a smirk and a shrug. "We are twins you know… almost identical DNA."

"I guess you can tell her we'll stop by for a little while at least," Veronica decided as she shot a crooked grin at Logan, who returned the look with one of his own. "You know how exhausting all day traveling can be for me, so I probably won't want to stay out too late anyway."

"So glad I put clean sheets on the bed in my guest room that  _ISN'T_ getting used now," Sully grumbled from the backseat.

"And  _there's_ the subtle," Veronica chided with a scoff, earning a chuckle from Logan as he came to a stop at the restaurant's valet service.

* * *

As they waited for the valet to bring back the SUV, Veronica marveled at the fact that they'd somehow miraculously made it through dinner without Sully and Logan lashing out at one another. Sully had indulged in a couple of drinks, but she could tell he was genuinely making an effort to be civil compared to how he'd acted previously. She couldn't help but wonder how their conversation had gone when Logan had convinced Sully to let him be the one to meet her at the airport.

A long day of traveling combined with a full stomach from dinner was making Veronica feel a bit drowsy, so she wrapped her arm around Logan's waist and snuggled closely against his side. As his warm lips pressed against her temple, she regretted agreeing to stop by the club to see Sabrina and Sterling. She was more than ready to be whisked away to his hotel room where she could have him all to herself. She was sure being there alone with him would be more than enough to fight off any feelings of drowsiness.

Luckily the club was at least in the same direction as Logan's hotel, so it didn't require them to waste time going out of the way. Sully had texted Sabrina as they were parking, so she was already waiting for them at the entrance to the club when they arrived. The smile on her face was as big as a cheshire cat as they walked up to her.

"I'm so happy to see you," Sabrina practically sang out as she enveloped Veronica in a hug.

"You can tell who her favorite is," Sully grumbled to Logan as the two of them stood by waiting for Sabrina to release Veronica. "Nevermind that I'm her  _twin_!"

"You know I always wanted a twin sister instead," Sabrina snapped back playfully as she released Veronica and shot a smirk at Sully. "And Veronica is the closest I'm ever going to get." She grabbed Veronica's hand as she turned toward the seating area of the club. "Come on, let's go join Sterling and the others," she added as she began dragging Veronica behind her.

Veronica glanced back over her shoulder at Logan and Sully. Logan had an amused smirk on his face, while Sully was shaking his head in obvious annoyance at Sabrina's as usual take-charge behavior.

As they neared the table, Sterling spotted them and stood up to greet the group. It was Veronica's turn to smile like a cheshire cat when she noticed that Olivia was in the fairly large group of people at the table. She knew it was a bit petty of her, but she hadn't forgotten how much Olivia had been flirting with Logan the last time they were in town. Veronica definitely took quite a bit of pleasure in the fact that Logan was now hers again. When Logan had finished shaking hands with Sterling, he moved to stand close to Veronica and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Veronica savored the small look of disappointment that flitted across Olivia's face. As Veronica turned to where Sully was standing a couple feet away, she saw him quirk an eyebrow at her as his lips curled up into a subtle wicked grin. Obviously he was completely aware of what had just transpired and Veronica quickly plastered an innocent look on her face causing him to chuckle softly before moving on to greet other people at the table.

"I'll admit this is a huge surprise," Sabrina chorused as she wrapped her arm around Sterling's waist, the two of them standing in front of Logan and Veronica. From the look on her face it was easy to tell she was talking about Logan and Veronica being together. "Of course I'm thrilled about it, but had been skeptical it would actually happen."

"Well we wouldn't want to be boring and predictable, right?" Veronica replied, a mischievous grin forming on her face as she looked up at Logan.

"Never," Logan responded, smiling down at her with adoration.

"Why don't you and Sterling go get us a couple of drinks," Sabrina instructed Logan as she moved away from Sterling to grab Veronica by the hand again. "We'll stay here so I can catch Veronica up on some of the wedding plans."

Sterling looked a little puzzled, but didn't object, gesturing in the direction of the bar with his head to Logan. "Better keep my fiancé happy," he muttered as Logan chuckled and fell into step next to him.

"I didn't even know he'd broken up with Paisley… and now  _this_!" Sabrina chirped as she pulled Veronica over to a pair of empty seats at the table. "Of course good riddance to her. I knew she wasn't right for him. And the two of you… you can tell the way he looks at you… I guess it was always there even before… he's so in love with you Veronica."

"What?" Veronica stammered, a bit flustered by what Sabrina had just said, although it wasn't terribly surprising that she had. " _Love…_  that's a bit strong… we just… we're just starting to figure this all out… again… I wouldn't jump to that yet…"

Sabrina let out a very audible sigh and gave Veronica an unmistakably incredulous look. "Seriously, Veronica? You're going to sit there and try to deny that you see it too?"

"Well," Veronica started, looking nervously around the table. With the loud music in the club and other conversations happening nearby, no one seemed to be paying any attention to the two of them. "I don't know what  _this_ is yet."

Sabrina narrowed her eyes and shook her head slightly. "Fine, I'll let you live in your little world of denial for a bit longer. But I'm positive he's still in love with you and I'd be willing to bet money that you're still in love with him too."

"You're impossible," Veronica countered with an uncomfortable laugh. "Which I know I should expect, but I was hoping you might dial it back a little."

"I'm  _dialing_ ," Sabrina replied with a smug grin. "But… well… when I found out who Sterling's college friend really was… I hadn't wanted to put you in an uncomfortable position  _then.._."

It was Veronica's turn to give Sabrina an incredulous stare. "You sent me on a cross country plane ride with him without telling me who it was I was flying with. And intentionally gave me his writing alias instead of his real name! How was that  _not_ putting me in an uncomfortable position?"

"Well.. that was just one day… I'm talking about the  _wedding_ ," Sabrina explained, waving her hand dismissively. "I'd wanted to ask you to be one of my bridesmaids, but if things went really badly with you and Logan, I didn't want you to feel trapped… but now… well… Sterling had wanted to ask his cousin to be a groomsman too, so… would you? Be one of my bridesmaids?"

Veronica threw her head back and laughed at how ridiculous Sabrina could be sometimes.

"Will you at least think about it?" Sabrina pleaded, smiling beseechingly at Veronica.

"I'll think about it," Veronica conceded with a chuckle.

"Yay!" Sabrina cheered as she did a quick hand clap. "I'm so happy you flew out this weekend."

"Me too," Veronica replied genuinely. It was definitely turning out way better than she could have ever imagined.

* * *

After dancing to a couple of songs and finishing off their drinks, Veronica was more than ready to leave the club. They'd be seeing everyone the following day at the big birthday bash Sabrina had planned, so she didn't feel bad that they hadn't socialized with everyone very much.

She leaned closer to whisper into Logan's ear over the loud music playing. "I'm ready to go if you are," she informed him, hoping she didn't sound too desperate to get him alone. Although, based on the slightly hesitant expression on his face, she wasn't quite sure how it had sounded to him.

"Yeah… we can go. But…" he started, pausing to chew slightly on his lower lip. "If this is going too fast for you… I'll understand if you just want to go back to Sully's tonight. I can pick you up for breakfast in the morning and we can spend the day together."

" _Too fast_?" she repeated incredulously. "I've been waiting  _weeks_ for this Logan," she admitted, surprising herself a bit with her own bravado. "Definitely  _NOT_ too fast."

"Good," he replied with a relieved sigh, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips. "I wholeheartedly agree."

"Let's get out of her then," she told him as she stood up and took him by the hand.

"Perfect, timing!" Veronica exclaimed as Sabrina and Sterling suddenly reappeared from the dance floor. "We're taking off. Can you either drop Sully off when you leave or see to it that he gets a ride?"

"Yep. Consider it done," Sabrina assured her with a smug grin. "Will you two be joining us for brunch tomorrow, or will we not see you until dinner?"

Veronica could tell what Sabrina was hinting at by the way her lip curled up ever so slightly.

"We'll play it by ear," Veronica countered with a smug grin of her own. "Text me the info and we'll see what we're up to in the morning."

"Mmmhm," Sabrina replied with a quirk of her brow. "Enjoy the rest of your night."

"Oh, I'm sure we will," Veronica sung out as she started pulling an amused Logan along behind her.

They'd only walked a few feet outside of the club, Logan's arm wrapped securely around her, when they had to step to the side to let a large group pass by them.

"Logan?" an unwelcome, yet not completely unfamiliar voice called out from the group. A second later, Paisley had stepped away from the others she was walking with, stopping in front of them. "Well, this is a surprise," she continued.

Veronica didn't know her well enough to interpret exactly what she had meant by the comment, but from her expression, it was clear that she wasn't terribly pleased to see the two of them there together.

"Yeah," Logan responded, giving Paisley an awkward smile. "We're in town for Sabrina and Sully's birthday. I'm surprised you're here and not New York."

"Bachelorette party for Whitney," she explained, waving toward the group of other women she'd been with.

"Oh right… Tell her congrats for me," Logan continued. "Have fun in there," he added gesturing with his head toward the club.

"Yeah… Nice to see you again, Veronica," she said a bit curtly, already starting to walk off before Veronica could finish saying ' _you too_ '. Although Veronica was pretty sure neither of them actually meant it.

Neither Logan or Veronica said anything as they continued on to the car. He kept his arm wrapped around her shoulders until they reached the passenger door, pulling it away then to open the door for her. She gave him a tight smile and a quick 'thanks' as she climbed in and started reaching for her seatbelt. Bumping into Paisley was definitely erasing some of the euphoria she'd been feeling all night.

A moment later Logan was in the driver's seat, but before he started the car or put on his own seat belt, he reached over and lightly brushed his fingertips across her temple.

"What's going through that beautiful mind of yours," he asked, his brow furrowed slightly.

She let out a soft huff as she shook her head slightly. Maybe it was the drink she'd had at the club that was making her brave enough to be honest, but whatever it was, she surprisingly shared what she was thinking. "That you're going to wake up one day and regret choosing me over the successful gorgeous brunette you could have had."

A soft smile formed on Logan's face as he shook his head. "Never."

Veronica sighed and shrugged a little. "How can you honestly know that for sure, though."

Logan traced his fingers across her forehead, pushing some tendrils of hair as his hand moved. "Because for the last five years I've regretted letting you go. That I didn't go after you. That I didn't fight to try to fix things between us back then. Deep down I know that probably wouldn't have been the wisest thing to do, but I still regretted that I didn't. And now that you're back in my life… well… you should know by now... there's no one else. I only want you."

She smiled tenderly at him and nodded before he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

"I only want you too," she whispered softly against his lips as the kiss ended.

Logan gently bumped his nose against hers as his fingers started to tangle into her hair. She could see the effect of her words in the way his eyes started to shine. A second later he was kissing her more ardently than before. Maybe Sabrina was right and he did still love her as much as she still loved him.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for taking a bit of time for this update. I was so happy with all the wonderful comments on how the last chapter went for them, so thank you all for that! Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter as well. I've left a few more notes at the end.
> 
> Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.

 

"Sooo..." Logan drew out the word as he opened the suite's door and gestured for Veronica to enter ahead of him. "It's been quite some time since dinner… did you want to check out the desserts on the room service menu?"

Veronica gave him a wide-eyed incredulous stare as he sat her suitcase next to the nearest chair, the heavy room door closing behind them.

"What?" he asked innocently with a shrug. "I thought you might be famished or something."

"Well not for  _food_ ," Veronica teased, moving closer to him with a sultry gaze.

A roguish smile appeared momentarily on Logan's face before he scooped her up, kissing her as he spun them toward the bed. When his back was the one closest to the mattress he flopped backwards, taking obvious care not to hurt her as they landed. She smiled down at him and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Much better than dessert," she cooed, earning a nod of agreement from Logan. After leaning in and kissing him for a few seconds more, she pulled back and looked at him again. "Although something chocolatey does sound awfully good."

He laughed and shook his head, reaching up to stroke her hair. "Anything the lady desires," he agreed, a look of adoration on his face.

She smiled even broader before leaning in for another quick kiss.

"Actually…" she began after the kiss, feeling a slight bit of trepidation before she worked up the courage to continue. "It's been a  _really_ long day… and I'd um… I'd love to take a shower and change into something more comfortable."

"Yeah, of course," Logan replied, his brows furrowing slightly as he carefully shifted her off of the side of him onto the bed. "Maybe I should order up something from room service while you're in there. If you want to look over the options I'll call down while you shower."

Veronica shook her head and grabbed the front of his shirt. "No… I meant... I'd really like for you to join me," she told him, finally sounding resolute.

He blinked his eyes as his head cocked to the side, definitely looking like he was caught off guard.

"Will you?" she asked when he didn't say anything.

He nodded first, before a soft 'yeah' finally came out.

She smiled and leaned in to kiss him again, blindly unbuttoning his shirt as they continued to kiss. Once she had enough buttons undone, she reached in and ran her hands across his chest, causing him to suck in a shaky breath. Back when they'd dated in college, he'd suggested her joining him in the shower at the Grand more than once, but she'd been much too self-conscious back then to agree. Even though they'd been intimate in bed, for whatever reason she couldn't seem to find the courage to stand completely naked in front of him like that. She knew it was ridiculous but she had always instinctively grabbed a blanket or one of their shirts to throw on when they were finished, even though he had no qualms about walking around completely naked in front of her. She didn't want to feel that way with him this time around though.

After she pushed his shirt the rest of the way off, she reached down and pulled her own shirt over her head. He slid her back onto his lap so that she was straddling him, their chests pressed together as he kissed her passionately again. She felt his fingers caress her back for a few seconds before his hand stilled; suddenly her bra was no longer connected in the back. He pulled away for a moment, maybe to silently ask if what he'd just done was okay. She smiled and lowered her arms so the straps would fall the rest of the way down, allowing him to toss the lacy garment to the side of them on the bed.

They kissed for a few more minutes, both of them hungrily touching as much bare skin as possible. Veronica was the first one to break away, smiling coquettishly at him as she slid off the bed. She took his hand and gently tugged on it, pulling him in the direction of the bathroom. As she had expected from the rest of the suite, the bathroom was luxurious, and she could see the ornate tile within the exquisite shower through its all glass walls and door.

"Are we um… just showering?" Logan asked a bit nervously, causing her to look back over her shoulder at him. She quirked an eyebrow, not expecting to have to elaborate on what she'd hoped they'd end up doing once they were naked and wet. She wasn't sure how he interpreted the look, but his nervousness seemed to morph into embarrassment. "I was just wondering… though I didn't want to be presumptuous… if I needed to grab...  _anything_ … you know."

"Oh," she blurted out with her own nervous chuckle. She hadn't really stopped to think through all the implications of what she was actually doing. She had certainly fantasized about a similar scenario several times in the recent past and hadn't really considered all the practical matters.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I feel like I totally just ruined the moment or something," his eyes shooting down to the floor.

"No, of course not," she reassured him, turning back to face him and wrapping her arms around his waist. "I was so excited about this," she paused and tilted her head slightly back and forth. "About  _us_ … that I hadn't even thought about  _that_."

"We don't have to… we can just shower," he suggested, sounding even more flustered than before.

"Is that what you want?" Veronica asked, suddenly worried that she was the one pushing this way faster than he was ready to go. Although he hadn't hesitated in getting her completely topless a few minutes before. She felt like she needed to say something to put him at ease though because this was quickly diverging from what she'd imagined would happen. "I mean… second base is pretty great too."

Logan chuckled and threw his head back slightly, a smile finally appearing on his face again. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her even closer to him, tipping her head up with his other hand so she was looking into his eyes. "There's no limit to what I want to do with you. I just wanted to be sure that's what you wanted too. I'm up for anything—and everything—with you. I thought it would be easier to grab what we might need before we're wet and naked—but that works too."

Veronica laughed and pushed slightly on his chest. "Grab a couple… we might be in there a while," she ordered with a wink and wicked grin.

"I'll be back in two seconds," he told her before placing a quick kiss on the tip of her nose and then vanishing back out to the main suite.

Veronica glanced around the bathroom for a few seconds, catching her own reflection in the mirror. She quickly decided that the half-dressed look really wasn't all that alluring so started to kick off her shoes so she could lose the rest of her clothes. She thought she heard a groan from the other room and then the sound of zippers quickly closing and opening before she heard Logan mutter a small 'thank god' and his footsteps moving again. She couldn't help but chuckle softly imaging the panicked state he must have been in before finding what he'd been sent out to retrieve.

"All good?" she asked with a salacious grin when he walked back into the room.

As he took in the sight of her, now completely naked, his eyes widened, and it seemed like it took him a second to register her question.

"Better than good," he finally replied, his voice huskier than normal.

"Well… you're a bit overdressed to join me in the shower," she commented coyly while she pulled the shower door open and reached in to turn the water on. She bit on her lip as she glanced back over her shoulder at him before stepping all the way into the shower. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting the water wash over her face and hair. It really did feel refreshing after the long day she'd had.

She thought she heard what sounded like a shoe thudding against a cabinet, but before she could even open her eyes to see what had caused the noise she felt Logan's arms wrap around her from behind. A second later, his body was pressed flush against hers causing a warm sensation to course throughout her entire body. She certainly didn't need to turn around to tell how aroused he was. One of his arms was wrapped around her waist and the other crossed above her chest so he could stroke her cheek with his hand. He tipped his head down and placed a trail of kisses from the base of her neck up toward her ear.

She sighed and leaned farther back against him, feeling more blissful and content than she could remember ever being in the last five years. She felt his nose nudge against her ear for a second after placing a lengthy kiss against her neck. He inhaled deeply as his arm around her waist tightened slightly.

"I've missed you so much," he confessed in a breathy whisper against her ear. "So, so much, Veronica," he continued, his voice full of emotion.

She couldn't help but turn in his arms to face him. She reached up to gently stroke his cheek, now speckled with drops of water from the shower. The intense way he used to look at her when they were intimate had always taken her breath away and, even after all these years, it still had the exact same effect on her.

"I've missed you more," she confided unguardedly before raising up on her toes to press her lips to his with every intention of showing him just how true that was.

* * *

Veronica swirled her spoon through the dense mixture of chocolate sauce and raspberries, drizzling it over the chocolate molten cake before scooping up another bite. She couldn't help but moan softly once it was in her mouth. She felt Logan chuckle where he was pressed against her on the bed.

"You're missing out," she teased as she prepared another spoon full. "I said I'd share," she reminded him as she lifted the spoon to his mouth.

"Hmmm… but was that just you feeling guilty and like it was the  _proper_ thing to do, versus actually wanting to give up a single drop of what you described as _'pure heaven'_  after your first bite."

She gave a slightly exaggerated thoughtful look as she shrugged playfully.

"Yeah… I figured it was just some misplaced sense of being proper," he teased.

"Well I told you you should order something for yourself," she admonished lightheartedly.

"One of us doesn't have the metabolism of a hummingbird," he countered with a smirk.

"Please," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "One dessert isn't going to have any impact on...  _that_." She gestured toward his naked chiseled abs with her free hand. They'd both slipped into a pair of plush white hotel robes after their shower and while she still had hers tightly wrapped around her, his ended up gaping open when he flopped on the bed next to her after room service had delivered her dessert.

A devious smirk formed on her face as she ran the spoon through the chocolate sauce again and quickly traced a swirling line of it across his stomach. " _Oooops_ ," she cooed innocently before shifting onto her own stomach so she could lick the chocolate off. Her smirk turned into a broader smile as she heard him groan. He placed one of his hands on the top of her head, his fingers tangling into her hair.

"Mmmmm… even better than sharing," he muttered in a low, sultry tone.

She laughed softly, shifting so she could lay on top of him. The movement caused her own robe to open slightly and she relished being able to feel the heat that radiated off him against her own skin. She carelessly placed the spoon back on the room service tray, focusing her attention on him.

"Well if you're not actually going to finish it..." Logan commented, raising his eyebrows as he glanced over at the tray.

"Who says I'm not saving it for later? I might need some  _sustenance_ after a while," she teased, adjusting herself so she could run her fingers through his hair.

"Well we wouldn't want you malnourished," Logan agreed, a sly grin spreading across his face. "So speaking of  _food_ … should I set an alarm so we can join the others at brunch, or do I get to have you all to myself until the big dinner? It may only be just a little before ten in California, but that's pushing one o'clock here."

"Shit!" Veronica exclaimed, eyes going wide. " _California_ … I was supposed to call my dad to let him know I made it safely to Sully's." She quickly slid off Logan, reaching for her bag that was on the floor next to the bed. "Shit," she grumbled again as she pulled her cell phone out. "My battery's dead. That explains why he hasn't been calling to check on me."

"You can use my phone," Logan offered, reaching over to where he'd placed it on the table next to the bed with his wallet after he tipped the room service delivery guy.

"Thanks." She smiled gratefully and sat back next to him on the bed so she could make her call. At least it wasn't terribly late in Neptune, although she was sure her dad would be a bit upset or at least worried that she hadn't called earlier.

She punched in her dad's number and waited for him to answer.

"Logan?" her dad asked through the phone. Logan had also shifted on the bed so that he could wrap himself around her and must have heard Keith's voice through the line. He gave her a sheepish look as her eyes went wide with alarm.

"No, it's Veronica," she answered, cringing a bit. It would have been nice to know that Logan had given her dad his number. She could have just used the hotel phone instead to avoid a potentially awkward call. All of a sudden she had an uneasy flashback to forwarding her house phone to the Grand and nearly getting busted by her dad then. Of course she was only nineteen then, as opposed to an almost twenty-four-year-old now.

"Oh, the display said…" her dad started, his voice getting faint as he must have pulled the phone away from his head. "Yep…  _Logan_."

She let out a nervous chuckle. "My battery was dead, so Logan let me use his phone. Sorry I didn't call earlier. It's been... an eventful evening."

"Mm-hmm. I see," Keith replied through the phone, sounding every bit the suspicious dad as he ever had. "So you made it safely to  _Sully's_?"

"Yeah…. I did make it safely to  _Sully's_. Then we went out for dinner and to a club to hang out with Sabrina and some of their other friends for a while."

"And now Logan is dropping you off at Sully's for the evening?"

She let out a long sigh and felt Logan press his head against her shoulder on the opposite side from where she was holding the phone. She heard him whisper 'sorry' against her collarbone.

"So… long story short… Logan and I are back together." She added an enthusiastic little  _'yay'_ at the end. She was pretty sure enthusiastic was quite far from the reaction she was going to get from her dad though.

"Well... since I'm here and you're there, I'm just going to  _pretend_ he's dropping you off for the night and will call on you again at a proper time in the morning."

She couldn't help but laugh at his reply. "Yeah… that's  _exactly_ what he's doing."

Keith let out a loud sigh. "Tell him I said hi and…" he paused for a second before continuing, "and I'm glad to hear you two are together again. After the devastated puppy dog look he had at the office, I'm glad you two worked out whatever caused you to run away to San Francisco."

"What?" she asked, clearly surprised by his statement.

"Come on, Veronica. I am a detective after all." He paused and let out a soft chuckle. "You  _are_  still coming home Sunday night, right? Or is he whisking you off to some exotic location on his private jet for your birthday?"

Veronica's eyes widened as she turned her head to look at Logan. She wasn't sure how much of the conversation he could still hear, but by the way his eyes lit up and the broad grin that spread across his face, she was pretty sure he'd heard most all of it.

"I don't know yet,  _Dad_. I'll be sure to update you when we finalize our plans," she answered, biting slightly on her lower lip to hide her own smile.

"Well I hope you have a fun weekend and it's okay if we postpone our trip to the zoo for a few days. The monkeys aren't going anywhere," Keith teased.

"I love you, Dad," Veronica replied, grinning ear to ear.

"I love you too, sweetheart."

"So  _can_ I?" Logan asked after Veronica and her dad had said their goodbyes and she ended the call. A hopeful, excited look forming on his face.

"Can you  _what_?" she asked in reply, trying to at least sound completely clueless about what he could have meant.

" _Whisk you away for your birthday_?"

"You don't have to just because he said that, Logan."

"I know I don't have to… but I'd love to. If you'd let me."

Veronica laughed nervously and shook her head. "I only packed for spending two nights here in Boston."

"Well, I could either find us a fantastic nude beach to go hang out on…" he suggested, bobbing his eyebrows for extra emphasis before giving her a more serious look. " _Orrrr_  you could let me buy you some extra clothes to cover a few more days with me."

Veronica felt the need to repeat her earlier position. "You don't have to do that. We could just fly back to Neptune and do something there."

"But I feel like I'd be disappointing your dad," he countered with a devious grin. "He's set a pretty high bar, Veronica. I don't want to let him down. I mean come on! He's giving you— _us_ —his blessing—even knowing I'm now your boyfriend—for me to take you on a fabulous birthday trip. How can we not do it now?"

Veronica couldn't help but laugh again. "I'm  _not_ going to a nude beach."

"Well then… plan B it is. We can go shopping tomorrow."

"I didn't agree to  _plan B_ , Logan. You don't need to buy me new clothes."

"Hey, just think of it as me making up for missing the last five of your birthdays. One day of clothes shopping is getting off cheap," he teased with a smirk. "Plus… even without going to a nude beach, you probably won't need a lot of clothing. A couple bikinis… some shorts and tees… a couple of sun dresses..."

"And just where are you planning to take me in this birthday kidnapping plot of yours?"

He chuckled softly and leaned over to kiss her temple. "I've been wanting to check out Turks and Caicos for a possible article… kill two birds with one stone?"

The way her lips turned up into a huge grin was completely involuntary.

"But this wouldn't be work… just a scouting mission while we celebrate your birthday… then we have an excuse to go back again," he continued, smiling more at her as he brushed his hand over her hair.

" _We_?" she asked a little hesitantly.

"You don't think I actually want to use any other photographer but you, do you? Your PEI photos were spectacular, Veronica." He paused and looked a bit more seriously at her, his brows furrowing slightly. "I know that's not what you really want to be doing though… so if you don't want to, that's totally fine. I don't want to guilt you into taking more photos for my articles."

"I um…" she started a little nervously. "Of course I'd love to be writing award winning expose articles, but... that's not really happening at the moment… and I really did enjoy working with you in PEI."

"Well, one of the benefits of working with me is that I'm  _extremely_ flexible and I have a fair amount of leeway with Casey. So if a story comes up that you wanted to do… my globe-trotting expeditions can always wait."

"Thank you," she said genuinely, reaching up to stroke his cheek, "for giving me such a wonderful opportunity while keeping the door open for other things too."

"I just want you to be happy, Veronica."

"I am… now that I'm here with you."

"So… Turks and Caicos?" he asked with a sly grin.

She bit on her lip as she smiled and gave him a silent nod.

"Yes!" he whisper-cheered before leaning in and kissing her lips. She couldn't help but laugh against his mouth as she kissed him back.

"So where were we before you reminded me of California?" she asked as she pulled away from kissing him.

"I think you were ogling my abs," Logan chuckled in reply.

She huffed in faux protest. "Correction. I was eating chocolate off the aforementioned abs."

Logan nodded as he laughed softly again. "Do I get a turn?"

She bit on her lip and gave him a coy grin. "Only seems fair," she replied as she shifted so she could straddle his thighs.

Logan sucked in a deep breath as she opened her robe and let it fall behind her across his legs. She knew exactly where she wanted his mouth. She reached over and dipped her finger in the chocolate sauce before swirling it around her right nipple and then her left. Logan let out a low groan as he dipped his head down to suck the chocolate off. She moaned and arched up more to meet him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling her body closer to his.

"Definitely the most  _heavenly_ dessert  _ever_ ," she moaned as Logan moved to her other breast.

The low growling sound he made led her to believe he wholeheartedly agreed.

* * *

"So… was it as amazing as you remembered?" Sully whispered to Veronica right as she took a drink from her wine glass. By the inflection in his tone, it was pretty easy to guess exactly what he meant. Veronica tried not to spit the mouthful of wine out in surprise. "I mean, come on… with a body like that, I'm imaging it's gotta be pretty awesome."

Veronica elbowed him in the side, which drew a laughing grunt from Sully and a few raised eyebrows from the other people sitting at their table.

"By the blush that's spreading across your cheeks, I'm going to say that's an affirmative," Sully whispered next, causing her to sigh and shake her head at him.

"So how's your moving plans coming along?" Veronica asked, trying to steer the conversation away from any details of her reunion with Logan. They'd ended up sleeping in late and hadn't joined the rest of the group for brunch, and with their little shopping expedition that afternoon, this was the first time Sully had had a chance to grill her.

Sully gave her a knowing smirk before answering her question. He could obviously tell she was trying to change the subject. "I'm going to crash with Preston for a couple of weeks while I look for my own place. I'm sure he'll be a little disappointed he's out of the running for your affection, but he's too great of a guy to let that be an issue, so I hope you'll come and visit us once I get out there. Maybe you can help me hunt for my own apartment."

"Yeah…. maybe.. .if I'm around," she answered a bit noncommittally. "I might be doing some other work out of town."

"God please tell me it's not another  _transcription_ job," Sully huffed out in disgust.

"It wasn't…" she sighed and shook her head. She didn't want to waste time correcting him again. "No, but I might be taking a trip to Peru with Logan to take pictures for his next article."

A broad smile spread across Sully's face as he nodded in understanding. "That's great, Vee. I'm thrilled you're getting a chance to show everyone just how talented of a photographer you really are."

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it," Veronica admitted, actually even more excited about the prospect than she had expected to be. She inhaled a deep breath before she continued. "And thanks… for knowing what was best for me, even if I wasn't willing to take a risk, and for persevering. You were right that we're better together."

Sully smiled and nodded before leaning over and placing a quick kiss on her temple. "I'm sorry I was a shithead about it at first. I'll still kick his ass if he breaks your heart again, but something tells me there's no chance that's going to happen. I'm really glad it finally worked out for the two of you."

"Me too," she replied, glancing over her shoulder at Logan who was sitting on the other side of her, deep in some conversation with Sterling who was seated on his other side.

"So," Sully started after also looking in the same direction, his eyes seemed to have landed on his sister who was sitting next to Sterling. "Sabrina said she asked you to join the wedding party. I didn't hear if you accepted or not though."

Veronica turned back to him and nodded. "Yeah, I told her when we arrived before we were all seated for dinner."

"Well I'm sure that made her night," Sully replied. "And I call dibs on walking you down the aisle." He leaned in closer to her again before he continued in a quieter tone. "I wasn't thrilled I had to walk Olivia down the aisle, so now we can dump her on Phillip," he confided with a smirk.

"Knowing your cousin, I'm sure she'll be happy to be paired up with someone she's  _not_ related to," Veronica countered with a laugh. "And I'd say it would be a bonus if he was single, but this is Olivia we're talking about."

Sully chuckled as he nodded in reply. "Lucky for Sabrina, Phillip actually is single, so that should lower the chances that Livy will do something to ruin her big day. But you never really know with her."

"You O'Sullivan's. Always so  _dramatic_!" Veronica teased as she bumped her knee into his.

"What's he being dramatic about now?" Logan asked, wrapping his arm around Veronica and leaning in to peer around her at Sully. "Still complaining about how much he sucked at surfing?"

"Oh no," Sully countered, a mischievous smirk appearing on his face. "I was revelling in the fact that I get to walk Veronica down the aisle."

"Hmmm," Logan huffed out softly. "Maybe I should ask to be demoted?"

"Now, now, boys," Veronica replied playfully as she patted Logan's chest. "I promise to save a spot for both of you on my dance card."

Logan chuckled and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "I hope I rate more than just  _one_ dance," he replied with a smug grin.

"We'll see," she teased back, giving him a seductive wink before leaning in to place a quick kiss to his lips.

"I think I'm going to try my luck at finding someone to dance with, or at least people to talk to who don't kiss as much as you two do," Sully groaned as he stood up. Even if he was trying to sound like their little display of affection was the source for him leaving, she could tell by his smile that he was genuinely happy for them.

"If I'd known kissing you was the easiest way to get rid of him, I would have done it months ago," Logan commented with a smirk.

"We never do anything the easy way though, do we," Veronica commented as she smiled up at him.

Logan shook his head and leaned in to kiss her cheek again. "No one writes songs about the ones that come easy," he whispered into her ear, making Veronica's heart skip a beat thinking back to just how far they'd actually come.

After all these years apart, even though they'd really just gotten back together less than twenty-four hours ago, she was more confident now than she'd ever been about just how much she did love him. She took a deep steadying breath as she reached up to stroke his cheek.

"I love you, Logan Echolls," she confessed nervously, holding her breath while she waited for his reaction.

For a split second there was a look of bewilderment on Logan's face,before a broad smile appeared. "I love you too,  _Veronica Mars_ ," he sighed, before leaning closer to capture her lips once again.

**_A/N - At this point I'm planning one more chapter for this story, which may end up being more like an epilogue. I'm sure some of you may be sad to see this one coming to an end, but the good news is that I'll be going back to finish Rocky Shores next, so there's that to look forward to! I feel terrible that I haven't worked on that in ages, but haven't been able to do two stories at once, so forged ahead to complete this one before going back to it. I'm also hoping the final chapter for this doesn't take me as long to get posted as this one did, but no promises! Thank you all for reading and leaving me wonderful comments. I really do appreciate them all!_ **

**_And as always, a special shout out to my wonderful beta Bondopoulos!_ **


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes at the end this time. 
> 
> Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.

"Papa Bear!" Veronica practically screamed as she crossed the sidewalk and threw her arms around her dear friend. She heard Logan let out a muffled chuckle as he settled up with the taxi driver who was still parked along the curb.

"It's so good to see you, girl," Wallace replied as he wrapped her up in a warm embrace. "I certainly didn't expect to be having dinner with you this week, although I won't say I'm not excited about it."

Veronica stepped back, smiling broadly as she nodded in agreement.

"Wallace," Logan greeted, holding out his hand toward the other man.

Wallace gave Logan a casual nod as he reached out and shook hands. "Logan."

"This was actually all  _Logan's_  idea," Veronica explained, moving closer to Logan and wrapping her arm around his waist. Logan in turn wrapped his arm across her shoulders and gave her a quick peck on the side of her head. Wallace quirked his eyebrow, at least looking as if he was a bit intrigued by her comment, so Veronica continued on. "When you called to wish me a happy birthday, Logan asked how you were doing and sussed out that I really hate not being able to see you very often. So then he suggested we make a little detour on our way back to California and stop here for dinner."

Wallace nodded while he gave Logan what appeared to be an appreciative look.

"What's the use having a private jet if I can't fly my lady love to New York to have dinner with her dear old friend," Logan replied with a smirk, obviously teasing rather than trying to be too serious.

"Who you callin' old?" Wallace objected as he playfully jabbed Logan on the shoulder.

Veronica laughed and rolled her eyes slightly at the two of them. She had been a little apprehensive about how their dinner might go since Logan and Wallace hadn't been on great terms several times in the past, so she was relieved that they seemed to be falling into a comfortable rapport with each other rather easily.

"Speaking of  _lady loves_ … I'm pretty sure I told you to invite Jackie to join us?" Veronica commented, narrowing her eyes questioningly at Wallace.

"You  _did_. She got held up waiting for her mom to finish her shift at the diner so she could watch Trey—Jackie's son. She should be here in about ten minutes or so," Wallace explained as he glanced at his watch.

"That should work fine," Logan replied, also glancing down at his own watch. "It may take us a little time to get our table anyway. I made a reservation, but I wasn't exactly sure how much time we'd need to get here from the plane, so I built in some extra time."

"So you're just in town for dinner?" Wallace asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"We're flying out in the morning since I promised my dad some quality Veronica birthday time too," Veronica explained as they all walked toward the door of the Italian restaurant Logan had suggested. She'd read a few reviews about the Montebello online and was eager to see if it was as good as people claimed. "We dropped off our luggage with the concierge at the hotel we're staying at." She shot a sly grin at Logan. "The St. Regis."

Logan couldn't seem to help the slightly lascivious grin that crossed his own face as he nodded in agreement.

"Well I'm honored that you flew out of your way to come and see me. Obviously New York is  _not_ on the way between the Caribbean and California."

"It's not?" Logan asked, obviously trying to feign seriousness. "I really should invest in an actual map."

"Or listen to your co-pilot," Veronica teased in reply, earning a quirked brow from Wallace.

"Co-pilot, eh?" Wallace asked.

"Well he did let me man the controls for a portion of our flight to the island," she shared, confidently smiling at Wallace.

"It was on  _autopilot_ ," Logan fake-whispered to Wallace, obviously loud enough to be sure that Veronica could hear him.

She narrowed her eyes at Logan, drawing a laugh from him before he shook his head and winked at Wallace.

"We'll have to plan another trip out here and take you and Jackie up for a flight too," Logan suggested, glancing at Veronica with a slightly questioning look on his face. If she had to guess, she'd bet that he wasn't sure if he should have offered to take the other couple flying so she gave him a reassuring smile and nodded.

"Maybe. Jackie's not a huge fan of flying, but you never know. So,  _maybe_ ," Wallace replied uncertainty evident in his tone.

"Well I can attest to the fact that Logan is a great pilot, so maybe that will help put her mind at ease. He's definitely the best pilot I've ever flown with."

Logan gave her an appreciative smile before giving her another quick kiss on the side of the head. "Thanks, Veronica. I should go check in with the maître d. Be right back."

Wallace gave her a smug grin as they watched Logan walk over to the maître d's stand. "I'd say I was surprised when you told me where you were and who you were spending your birthday with, but then I'm sure you'd turn the tables on me about Jackie, so I won't," he teased.

"Smart man," Veronica replied, patting his forearm. She glanced back at the door before turning to him again. "Speak of the devil," she added, gesturing with her head to the entryway.

Wallace chuckled softly before walking over to greet Jackie. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before they both turned to face Veronica. Jackie looked a bit nervous, but smiled nonetheless.

"Well if it isn't the lovely Miss Cook," Logan commented in a welcoming tone as he rejoined the group and stepped forward to give Jackie a quick hug.

Logan's greeting seemed to put Jackie more at ease and her smile looked more relaxed.

"Logan. Veronica," Jackie said, nodding at both of them in turn. "Wow… it's been quite a while."

"Yes it has," Veronica agreed, although based on Jackie's reaction, perhaps not enough time to forget all their history. "It's great to see you again and I'm really happy you were able to join us for this rather impromptu dinner," she continued, still hoping that maybe whatever issues the two of them had shared in the past were well behind them now.

"Yeah, I really appreciate the invitation," Jackie replied, giving Wallace a quick glance. "Wallace and I had talked about trying this place for a while now but hadn't yet. I've heard great things about it so can't wait to eat."

"Well it looks like you arrived just in time," Logan shared with Jackie before wrapping his arm around Veronica and turning to follow the host who had just appeared to let them know that their table was ready.

While the restaurant was fairly small, it still had a quaint homey feel with it's decor and the white linen tablecloths that covered no more than a dozen or so large six-top tables. They passed by several groups of diners before reaching their own table at the back of the restaurant.

"So, Wallace said you two were just visiting Turks and Caicos?" Jackie commented as they looked over their menus once they were seated. "I've heard it's beautiful there."

"It's even better than I'd imagined," Veronica couldn't help but gush as she glanced over at Logan. "It was absolutely the best birthday present I've ever had."

"Wallace took me to  _Coney Island_  for my birthday," Jackie shared, shooting a teasing smile at Wallace.

"Way to make me look bad, man," Wallace remarked with an exaggerated frown, shaking his head at Logan.

Jackie laughed and patted Wallace on the arm. "Well it does have  _island_ in its name so I'm sure it's really similar to where Veronica got to go," she continued to tease, earning a loud groan from Wallace.

"Sorry about that," Logan replied, clearing his throat almost nervously. "Hope you won't hold  _this_ against me, too."

Veronica frowned, a bit confused about what Logan meant, but then as she glanced over at Wallace, she quickly figured out what Logan must have been implying when she spotted a familiar face walking toward them.

"Mac?" Veronica practically yelled at the same time that Mac was shouting  _'surprise_!'. "What are you—" Veronica stopped in the middle of her question. "Casey?" she continued, realizing Casey was walking right behind Mac.

Veronica turned to look at Logan, who had a smug grin on his face. "And you're responsible for  _this_ too?" she asked gesturing with her head at Mac and Casey. Logan smiled a bit more broadly as he nodded.

"I thought you'd enjoy having Mac and Casey here for your birthday dinner too," Logan explained, looking a little more apprehensive than he had a second before. Perhaps he was starting to question whether it really had been a good idea or not.

"Of course I'm thrilled to see them too. But… we're in New York!"

"Come on, Veronica," Casey interjected with a grin. "Logan's not the only one with access to a private jet."

"And I must say, now that I've had the luxury of flying in an executive company jet, I'm not sure I'll ever survive commercial again," Mac teased, shooting Casey a sly grin.

Veronica laughed and shook her head, stunned by the current turn of events..

"Happy Birthday," Mac singsonged as she walked over to give Veronica a hug.

"Thanks," Veronica replied, standing up to hug Mac first and then Casey.

"I still can't believe we're all here together," Veronica shared with the group in general after they'd quickly introduced Casey to Wallace and Jackie and had all taken their seats around the table again. "Any other surprises I should brace myself for?" she asked narrowing her eyes playfully at Logan.

"Nope," Logan assured her with a relaxed smile. "Getting  _one_ secret by you was about all I figured I could manage."

"Well it was a really thoughtful surprise," she told him, leaning in to give him a quick peck on the cheek.

"So are you two also just here for one night?" Jackie asked looking between Mac and Casey as the other couple started glancing over their menus.

Veronica couldn't help but notice the way Mac's eyes lit up as she smiled, dimples on full display.

"No, we're staying for the entire weekend. Casey's taking me to see a Broadway show tomorrow night," Mac shared, definitely looking excited by their plans.

"Too bad you two are heading back tomorrow," Casey commented, clearly directing his comment to Logan and Veronica. "I'm sure I could get extra tickets for us all to go. Wallace and Jackie, you're welcome to join us if you're free."

"While I appreciate the offer," Jackie answered, giving Casey a grateful smile, "I already promised my mom I'd cover her shift tomorrow night since she's watching my son tonight."

"Jackie still fills in sometimes at the diner, even though she's gotten a paralegal position at a firm here in Manhattan," Wallace shared proudly, drawing a bashful grin from Jackie.

"Well then," Casey announced, a slightly mischievous tone to his voice. "We'll just need to make the most of the night we do have!"

"Why do I suddenly have a very bad feeling about what you might suggest," Logan groaned, shaking his head slightly.

"Okay, maybe I had a few bad ideas when we were in Romania," Casey relented with a slight grimace. "But I  _know_ New York. I promise not to take us anywhere that we'll have to bribe our way out of."

Logan shook his head as he buried it slightly into his hands and then let out another loud moan. "You say that now… but I don't know," Logan lectured as he lifted his face up to look at Casey again. "I beg you,  _please_ don't ruin Veronica's birthday celebration."

It was hard for Veronica to gauge how serious Logan actually was about it, but she didn't want Casey to feel bad. "Just think of the interesting story I'd get to tell," she chimed in, with her own mischievous grin on full display. "I'm willing to put my full faith in Casey," she added, giving Mac a playful little wink.

* * *

"I can't believe Casey dragged us to Drag Queen Puppet Bingo," Veronica giggled as she leaned into Logan's side in the hotel elevator.

Logan chuckled and shook his head, clearly amused by the unexpected and unusual show Casey had insisted they check out. "I have no idea how he even knew about that! Leave it to Casey to find the most bizarre activities that most people have never even heard of."

"It was a lot of fun though," Veronica shared, smiling as she reflected back on how the night had gone. "And was I  _right_? Casey and Mac are so smitten with each other. It was almost as entertaining watching them as the show."

"Yeah. I've met a couple of the other women Casey's dated and I can honestly say I haven't seen him quite like this before," Logan agreed. "I didn't get a chance to tell you that I originally just called Casey to see if there were any planned company flights from the LA office to New York.I figured if there was then Mac could hitch a ride so she wouldn't have to fly commercial and he immediately jumped at the chance to come out with her."

Veronica laughed softly at Logan's revelation. "Well Mac did specifically comment on the fact that he'd reserved a two bedroom suite for them to stay in for the weekend, but I would be shocked based on how quickly things are progressing between them that both bedrooms will be occupied the entire weekend."

Logan smirked and nodded in agreement right as the elevator door opened for their floor. Veronica hadn't been paying much attention when Logan picked up the key card from the desk as to what floor they were even on. Veronica quirked her eyebrow at him as they walked out of the elevator into the hall. The impish grin on his face gave away their destination even if he'd been trying to make it a surprise.

She traced her fingers over the gold placard with 'Milano Suite' etched into it while Logan used the keycard to open the door.

"You got us the  _same_ suite? I can't believe you remembered which one it even was," she commented, genuinely taken aback.

"Are you kidding me?" Logan asked incredulously, raising his eyebrows at her. "Of course I remembered. I'll never forget our first time, Veronica," he added, his voice growing more thick with emotion as he said her name.

When Keith had been delayed on their trip to New York right after her high school graduation, Logan hadn't hesitated to jump on the next plane out of San Diego and follow her across the country. He'd booked a suite at the St. Regis where she'd spent a fair amount of the three days that her dad was still tying things up in Neptune. After everything they'd just endured at that time in their lives, secluding themselves away in a luxury suite had been incredibly cathartic. While she'd insisted they do a bit of sightseeing so she would have some photographic proof to show her dad later, they'd spent a fair amount of time just enjoying finally being together again and taking their relationship to a level of intimacy they'd never actually reached before.

"I can still remember it vividly, too," Veronica confessed a bit breathlessly as she walked into the room ahead of him. Even though it had been years since they'd been there together, and she was sure the hotel had likely made some changes, all her memories of what had felt like an absolutely magical time came rushing back to her.

She turned back to face Logan with a tender smile on her face. Even though he had closed the door, he was still standing next to it, watching her take in the room.

"I remember watching you… us… in the large mirror by the bed… and being completely overwhelmed by all the emotions I was feeling then," she shared, slowly moving back to where he was standing. He frowned slightly at her words, which was not what she'd intended. "I didn't know then how to tell you how much I loved you," she continued, reaching up to caress his cheek. "But I do now."

Logan drew in a deep breath as his concerned expression disappeared, replaced by one that could only be described as complete adoration and awe. He leaned in so he could kiss her. At first the kiss was slow and tender, but it quickly became more heated and passionate. She let out a slight gasp of surprise when he scooped her up, but then laughed against his lips as he carried her into the bedroom. She felt heat course through her body as she caught a glimpse of the full length mirror still positioned in the corner of the room and couldn't wait to watch them together now, more than ready to make all new memories to remember for years to come.

* * *

Veronica sighed contently as she stretched out on the plush couch. The corner spot with the attached ottoman had always been her favorite. She couldn't help but feel totally relaxed, and she wondered how many times she'd fallen asleep in that very spot. Her reminiscing about long ago weekends was abruptly interrupted by a body barreling toward her and practically crushing her as arms wrapped around her waist and a head full of blond curly hair pressed against her stomach.

"I've missed you," Sully shared, lifting his head up enough to smile at her. "How is it that we're both living on the same coast now, yet I  _never_ get to see you?" He pushed up on his elbows a little farther, looking over at the pool table before looking back at Veronica. "Oh  _that's_ right," he said sarcastically, the ' _because of him_ ' wasn't necessary to say based on the look he gave her after pointedly looking in Logan's direction.

"Hey, we offered to let you fly out here with us. But you already had other plans," Veronica sassed back, shooting an accusatory look at him.

"Yeah... well, I had some loose ends to take care of out here, so I decided to come back a little earlier," Sully explained, shifting more to the side of her but still keeping his arm wrapped around her waist. "So I  _politely_ declined Logan's offer."

"Well I'm glad the two of you behaved yourself at the bachelor party at least. I was a little worried I'd have to come and play referee, and that could have been a bit awkward with some of the establishments you dragged them to."

"Hey, it's supposed to be ' _what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas'_ ," Sully countered with a frown. "Of course mister  _kiss-up-to-his-girlfriend_  would go and blab all about it to you."

" _Actually_ …. Sabrina's the one who told me," Veronica rebutted, shaking her head slightly at Sully. "Logan didn't deny it when I asked him about it later, but he wasn't willing to confirm it either. In fact, he tried that  _same_ line on me." She glanced in Logan's direction, catching his eye right before he leaned down to line up his next shot at the pool table. He smiled and gave her a quick wink before sinking the four ball in the corner pocket. Veronica looked back at Sully. "I trust him completely, so I wasn't worried that you'd be able to lead him astray."

Sully glanced at Logan, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, it's easy to tell how devoted he is. So, where did you two just return from? Chile?"

"No that was the trip  _before_ the bachelor party. We were in Uruguay last week."

"Sabrina sent me a copy of the article you wrote. It was really great, Vee."

"Thanks," Veronica replied, unable not to smile with pride thinking about her accomplishment. "Logan suggested I run the idea of writing a human interest story by Casey after one of our trips, and luckily he was willing to give me a shot at it. I'm still going to do photography for Logan, but I'm going to look for other interesting stories to write when we go on our next assignment."

"Well there's always a dark side to every paradise, isn't there?" Sully asked with a suddenly somber expression.

Veronica sighed slightly and nodded.

"So with all this jet-setting around the globe, have you finally gotten less stressed about those bumpy flights you used to complain about every time you flew between California and Massachusetts?"

Veronica chuckled and nodded. "Well it helps having an amazing pilot who somehow magically always seems to avoid any turbulence at all."

"Hey, your turn at the table," Logan suddenly interjected as he pushed a pool cue toward Sully. " _My_  turn to cuddle with my girlfriend on the couch."

Sully laughed as he pressed a kiss to Veronica's cheek. "Well at least I got to enjoy your company for a few minutes."

"I'm sure we'll squeeze in a few more minutes of quality time over the weekend," Veronica assured Sully with a playful wink as he pushed himself up to take the pool cue from Logan.

"I take it you  _weren't_ the victor?" Veronica asked Logan as he took over Sully's spot on the couch, wrapping his own arm around her waist.

"To the victor goes the spoils," Logan said with a smirk before leaning in to kiss her, causing her to laugh against his lips. "It's been a long day and you looked like you were about to doze off over here before Sully pounced on you, so I thought I'd see if you were ready to head back to our hotel. We'll see everyone bright and early to kick off all the events Sabrina has planned for the next few days."

Veronica let out a low groan, causing Logan to chuckle and place a kiss on her cheek.

"I  _really_ hope that reaction was about Sabrina's overly-ambitious wedding weekend agenda and  _not_  about going back to the hotel with me," Logan teased as he nuzzled his nose against the side of her head.

"I still don't see why we couldn't have just made up an excuse and flown in right before the actual event. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Sabrina, but… she can really go overboard sometimes."

" _Sometimes_?" Logan countered, laughing softly to himself.

Veronica shrugged before letting out an exaggerated sigh. "Well it would have been easier if the ceremony was here in Concord too rather than having it way over in Danvers."

"You know Sterling and Sully tried to talk her into that too, but once she toured that wedding venue with Sterling, there was no changing her mind."

Veronica let out a dry laugh. "Yeah… I definitely know how stubborn she can be."

"Pot, kettle?" Logan teased, earning a frown from Veronica. "I'm just playing," he assured her, placing another kiss on her cheek.

"Mm hm," Veronica mumbled, not entirely convinced that he didn't mean it a little bit. She certainly had her moments of digging in her heels, although she was trying to work on that.

"So… are we crashing here on the couch or heading to the hotel? I can call and cancel the room if you want to take Sabrina up on her offer and stay. Although given all the other guests staying here at the house, I'm guessing it's going to be a pretty long line for the limited number of bathrooms."

Veronica shook her head. "Nope… I choose a comfortable king bed and private bathroom over basement couch and limited facilities."

"Good," Logan replied, reaching up to run his fingers over her hair, "I'm happy as long as I'm with you, but I'd prefer a bit of  _privacy_ as well."

Veronica leaned toward him and pressed a tender kiss to his lips. "Let me run up and say goodbye to everyone upstairs and then we can go."

"Sounds good," Logan said, shooting her a heated stare. "I'm looking forward to breaking in a new bed with you."

"I'll be sure they're  _quick_ goodbyes," she added, biting her lip to hide the smile that was threatening to break out and feed right into Logan's ego. She suddenly felt much more awake than she had twenty minutes before.

* * *

The day had turned out as perfectly as any bride could hope for. Of course, given how much of a control freak Sabrina always was, Veronica would have been shocked if it hadn't. Veronica had tried to actually focus on the ceremony, but found her gaze constantly shifting just past the important couple to the guy who was now, and really always had been, one of the most important people in her life. She'd caught him looking at her too which had almost caused him to miss his cue to pass off the rings.

After what had seemed like non stop activity since they'd arrived two days before, Veronica had been relieved when the wedding party finally got to take their place at the head table and enjoy a drink and their dinner. Logan's comment so many months before about trying to convince them to just elope would surely have been a much less exhausting endeavor. Although that may not have given her the chance to see Logan in such an exquisite tuxedo and so maybe that alone was actually worth all the work. She was definitely more than ready for this day to be over so they could head back to the luxurious suite he'd booked for them not far from the wedding venue. Looking amazing in the tuxedo just made her want to get him out of it even more.

Her thoughts about what she wanted to do to him when they were alone were interrupted by the signal that it was time for the best man to make his speech. Logan gave her a quick wink as he squeezed her hand before standing up to begin.

"I'd like to begin by congratulating Sabrina and Sterling. There's a special kind of bond that two people who have known each other for as long as they have develop, and I'm honored to have been there to see that bond blossom into the love they have for each other now. I really do believe that when two people are meant to be together, nothing, not even spending years apart or living on different continents, will stand in the way of them finding their way to one another. These types of true love stories are special—they don't come along very often—but when they do, it's a beautiful thing. It's been said that you don't marry someone you can live with, you marry someone you can't live without. Sabrina and Sterling are one of those rare couples that have found that epic kind of love. Here's to many happy years together. To the bride and groom."

Logan gave Veronica a tender smile as he raised his glass toward the crowd at the end of his toast. She smiled and tipped her glass in the air toward him before taking a sip.

After he'd returned to his seat next to hers, he picked up her hand closest to him and pressed his lips to her knuckles. She gave him a soft smile before turning her attention back to the front of their section where Sterling's cousin was now starting to make his own toast to Sabrina and Sterling. Veronica leaned toward Logan, resting her head against his shoulder while he shifted their still joined hands to rest on his leg and pressed a warm kiss against her temple.

"Mmmm… have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" Logan murmured against Veronica's skin between placing hot kisses along her neck.

Veronica laughed as she tilted her head to give him better access. "Only about a half dozen times, but I won't complain about more."

"Well, you look absolutely ravishing," Logan gushed, pulling away to give her a lopsided grin.

Veronica bit on her lip for a second as she reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. "You look quite  _ravishing_ yourself. I'd forgotten how handsome you look all decked out in a tux."

Logan chuckled and shook his head. "Alterna-prom… that was the last time you would have seen me in a tux… I'm not so sure I looked all that handsome that night."

"Are you kidding me?" Veronica countered, a bit surprised that he'd think that.

"Well my looks certainly didn't save me from being totally brushed off that night by you."

Veronica rolled her eyes slightly. "Come on… I wasn't expecting all of that. You caught me off guard." She paused and looked at him a bit more inquisitively. "I couldn't help but feel quite a bit of nostalgia about that night with your toast earlier this evening.  _Epic love_? So did you always think we'd find our way back to each other?"

Logan smiled tenderly and nodded. "Yeah, but I thought it would be something more like me getting falsely accused of murder and you having to help clear my name rather than _four weddings and a funeral_.

Veronica laughed and rolled her eyes again. "There was only  _one_ wedding and nobody died!"

"Well…" Logan started, bobbing his eyebrows suggestively. "You  _did_ catch the bouquet… so technically we could make it  _two_ weddings."

Veronica widened her eyes and sucked in a quick breath.

"Relax, Mars," Logan quickly countered, reaching up to brush his fingers along her cheek. "I'm not planning on proposing tonight… but  _someday_ … when I think you're ready to say yes."

Veronica exhaled slowly and nodded. "Well I can promise that you're the only person in the world I'd  _ever_ say yes to… the one I can't live without."

"Same here, Bobcat," Logan whispered huskily before leaning down and pressing his lips to hers.

**_A/N - Thank you to all of you lovely readers! I hope you enjoyed this story. I had a lot of fun writing it. I always have a really hard time with endings, so hopefully this one didn't disappoint. I'll hopefully find time to head back to Rocky Shores now so I can finish that. I do miss doing mystery stories, so once RS is done there's another one I'd like to do but don't want to have multiple WIPs again because I felt bad when I got too busy to work on them all._ **

**_Fun fact I meant to share earlier was that Paisley wasn't actually the first name I went with. For quite a few chapters up until I finally went back and posted the first one her name was Darby. I think there may have been one even before Darby, but that was what she was for quite a while when I was working on the story._ **

**_And as always, many many thanks to my wonderful beta Bondopoulos! I can't even begin to say how much I appreciate all the help and time she gives me._ **

 


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